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yeasts, although the second control bottle was satisfactory.
Crumpets suspected of causing food poisoning were submitted, but although examination showed they
were unfit for sale, when received, the symptoms suffered by the complainant were inconsistent with those of
food poisoning.
I wo pieces of string, of the type commonly used for sewing flour bags were present in a ham and egg pie, and
a bun round contained a piece of string which had been cooked in it.
Some canned pineapple tidbits were mouldy dut to the tool marking on the tin being too deep causing the
can to leak, and a cigarette end found in another can of pineapple slices was not a type of cigarette normally
sold in Great Britain indicating that it had been in the can before sealing.
A piece of wood, submitted with an empty can which had contained blackberries, was thoroughly
impregnated with colour derived from blackberries, and must have been in the juice for some considerable
time.
A piece of plastic material was found in some beef sausages, and a stone weighing 0.75 of a gramme was
found in a packet of chocolate raisins purchased from a slot machine.
A piece of wire found in a can of frankfurters was pitted due to corrosion and had doubtless been cooked
when the can was sterilised. A portion of a wire nail stated to have been found in a bar of chocolate showed
traces of adherent chocolate.
A piece of solder was found in some corned mutton, and a piece of metal in a can of pork and ham showed
carelessness in the factories concerned.
A complaint was received about a piece of metal found in a toffee, but as the offending material was a tooth
stopping, it was surprising that the complainant did not realise he had lost the stopping when eating the toffee;
some metallic matter in shelled peanuts was found to consist of iron with oil doubtless due to gear oil from
machinery, while another packet of peanuts contained a piece of very oily thin paper, probably used in the
factory for filtering or cleaning purposes, and a piece of glass found in a jar of coffee had no doubt broken
from a similar jar due to an accident in the filling chain. A complaint of an unusual deposit found in a tea cup
consisted essentially of tea dust, and it is probable that tea had been measured from a large container using this
cup and that the cup had then been used for a cup of tea without being washed.
The black material in pork chipolatas consisted of carbonaceous matter, although it was impossible to
suggest how this had gained access in manufacture, and some potato chips, which were the subject of a
complaint, were found on examination to consist of one third of diseased potato which should have been
removed before frying.
A pork luncheon meat was received because of a "Catty" odour which was due to contamination of the
lacquer solvent used for the tinplate and subsequent inadequate stoving of the lacquered tinplate, and in the
case of a complaint that a can of salmon was too salty, it was found that the salt in the liquid surrounding the
fish was 15.6 per cent and on the drained fish 8.2 per cent, whereas the normal salt content of canned salmon
ranges from 0.7 to 1.5 per cent, so that an accident must have happened with this can.
The contents of a box of chocolates submitted as a complaint were found to be in a very bad condition, but
no sign of cocoa moth or larvae could be detected, and it was thought the condition was caused by the
chocolates being stored in too warm a place. Another box in a very bad condition was obviously old stock and
was believed to be at least eight years old. Likewise the bloom on some chocolate biscuits consisted of a "fat"
bloom, which may have been due either to faulty manufacture or long storage under unsuitable conditions.
A complaint was received regarding the amount of fruit in an apple pie,and, although your analyst thought
sufficient fruit was present, the illustration on the carton was considered misleading because it showed a nicely
browned pie whereas when the pie was cooked according to the directions it browned at the edges and left a
white centre.
A margarine complied with chemical tests, but had a most objectionable flavour due to the use of
improperly refined oil, and was reported as inferior, whilst some cooking fat also possessed an unpleasant
taste and odour, but in this case the taste was due to rancidity, which could be shown by chemical tests.
Some chocolate coated marshmallow biscuits were thought to have caused sickness, and, while the flavour
was unpleasant, examination proved them to be safe for consumption, although it was thought the
manufacturers had used a rancid milk product in the preparation of the marshmallow portion.
The rancid flavour of some chocolate coated toffees, and the soapy flavour of a sponge cake mix were due to
the use of improperly refined fat, but the unpleasant flavour of some bread pudding was due to contamination
with a small quantity of synthetic detergent.
A sample of frankfurters contained total meat only 59.4 per cent, being 20 per cent deficient in meat, but the
follow-up sample contained 73.7 per cent and was therefore only 1.5 per cent deficient, while another different
make contained only 67.4 percent meat, and some pork sausages contained only 61.09 percent of meat being 6
per cent deficient, but again the follow up sample contained 66.5 per cent which is satisfactory.
I he total meat on some baconburgers with baked beans was only 58.9 per cent, whereas it was considered
that the lowest meat standard for a baconburger should be that of a frankfurter w hich when in a can must be
not less than 70 per cent of meat. Moreover owing to the small quantity of baconburgers, the product should,
in any case, have been described as a "Ready Meal", but it was not.
I wo samples of meat spread contained only 56.1 percent and 58.4 percent of meat respectively whereas the
Fish and Meat Spreadable Products Regulations 1968 requires not less than 70 percent of meat, and a sample
of pork cured in spiced brine was made up essentially of pieces of pig tail, so that it should have been described
as "pork tail".
A cream contained 48.2 per cent of fat and 3.8 per cent of solids not fat, indicating that the solids not fat on
the original milk were only 7.1 per cent. Two soured creams were incorrectly labelled, since soured cream is a
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