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Before such premises are registered, however, a certain standard of cleanliness and
sanitation has to be observed, and in order to render the milk sold as free from
contamination as possible, every applicant for registration is required to provide a
close fitting cabinet to entirely enclose the counter pan, which shall itself also be
provided with an individual and separate close fitting lid.
SALE OF MILK REGULATIONS, 1912.
Representations have from time to time been made to the Board of Agriculture and
Fisheries by Local Authorities of districts where there is a trade in skimmed and
separated milk, that Regulation 3 of the Sale of Milk Regulations, 1901, does not
operate satisfactorily in the prevention of the sale of skimmed milk to which no water
has been added.
This Regulation provides that skimmed or separated milk (not being condensed
milk) containing less than 9 per cent, of milk solids shall be presumed, until the contrary
is proved, not to be genuine, by reason of the abstraction therefrom of milk solids other
than milk fat, or the addition thereto of water.
Considerable practical difficulty has arisen in instituting proceedings in cases in
which water has been added to skimmed milk, but, owing to the fact that the milk has
been imperfectly skimmed, the total solids have not fallen below 9 per cent. Thus a
sample containing 1.5 per cent, of fat and 7.5 per cent, of milk solids other than milk
fat, would probably contain over 12 per cent, of added water, though the total solids are
up to the limit of 9 per cent. In such cases, Public Analysts are frequently loth to
certify adulteration, and even when cases are taken into Court many magistrates appear
unwilling to convict.
Further, in practice, the old Regulations on occasions undoubtedly pressed heavily
on sellers of separated milk, as the following hypothetical instances will indicate.
The milk fat of milk containing 3 per cent, of milk fat and 8.5 per cent, of milk
solids other than milk fat, was reduced by the process of separation to 0.1 per cent.;
the percentage of total solids will thus only be 8.85, and a presumption of adulteration
with water accordingly arises, although in point of fact no adulteration has taken place.
As a result of the representations made on the matter, the Board of Agriculture and
Fisheries, in exercise of the powers conferred on them by Section 4 of The Sale of Food
and Drugs Act, 1899, have issued The Sale of Milk Regulations, 1912.
These Regulations are intended to obviate the difficulties previously experienced,
and to facilitate the prevention of the adulteration of skimmed milk with water, and
with this object replace the limit of 9 per cent, of total solids, below which a presumption
of adulteration with water would arise, by a limit of 8.7 of milk solids other than
milk fat.
In cases where milk has been imperfectly skimmed, the fixing of the percentage at
8.7 per cent, may result in some hardship. For instance, if milk containing 3 per cent,
of milk fat and 8.5 per cent, of milk solids other than milk fat is imperfectly skimmed
so that 1.5 per cent, of fat remains, the proportion of milk solids other than milk fat
will rise only to 8.6 per cent., and it will therefore be necessary that the Local Authority