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140
came into force in 1912 forbidding the use of any "preservative
substance" in milk, and stating a limit of 0.4 per cent. of boric acid
in cream. In 1917 an amending order directed that a label should be
affixed to preserved cream, with the wording "Not Suitable for Infants
and Invalids."
In spite of evidence to the contrary, preservative free milk was a
success; and it at once became apparent that if so perishable a food as
milk could be delivered to the consumer without the use of preservative
there was a good probability that other less perishable foods could
likewise do without the assistance of these chemicals.
Following the pioneer work of the 1900-1 Committee, a Departmental
Committee, appointed in 1923, considered the question of
preservatives in food in the light of the experience gained, and in the
following year submitted recommendations regarding the use of
preservatives in foods. Many trade witnesses gave evidence as well
as those concerned with the medical and scientific aspects of the
problem, and one very interesting fact that came to light was that
many retailers were selling at the same time and the same price, New
Zealand butter which contained preservative and that which did not,
without even knowing which was which.
Briefly, the Committee recommended that the use of chemical
preservatives in foods was unnecessary and should be prohibited
except in a few specified cases. The Committee did not regard as
preservatives, salt, saltpetre, sugar, vinegar, alcohol, spices or the
substances introduced during "smoking." All other substances introduced
into food to arrest, delay, or mask putrefaction or fermentation
it regarded as chemical preservatives; it rejected the plea that these
were harmless; and out of the many chemicals investigated the
Committee named benzoic and sulphurous acids and their salts as
being the only ones to be allowed in foods, and then only in the
following:—sausages, jam, dried fruit, preserved (but not dried) whole
fruit, beer and cider, alcoholic wines, non-alcoholic wines and cordials,
fruit juices (sweetened and unsweetened), coffee extract, sweetened
mineral waters and brewed ginger beer. In each case a limit for the
amount of preservative to be used was specified, and the Committee
recommended that the use of a preservative even in these permitted
cases should be allowed only upon the condition that the nature and
quantity of the preservative present in the food should be stated in some