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84
MILK.
All samples of milk were reported to be of genuine composition in
accordance with the requirements of the Sale of Milk Regulations, 1901,
and the Milk & Dairies (Amendment) Act, 1922. It has to be remembered
that the 1922 Act requires that—
"No person shall add any colouring matter or water or any dried
or condensed milk or any fluid reconstituted therefrom, or any
skimmed milk or separated milk to milk intended for sale."
The Regulations of 1901 state that a milk containing less than 3.0%
of fat or 8.5% of solids-not-fat shall be presumed to be adulterated until
the contrary is proved. It is thus seen that the 1922 Act places a much
greater responsibility on Local Authorities than was formerly the case,
and this point is frequently not appreciated. Owing to the difficulty
of detecting adulteration by a simple abstraction of fat, it is now
sufficient to be able to prove that certain processes are carried out in
a factory.
The application of the terms "Good," "Fair" and "Poor" are applied
to milk according to the percentage of fat. They are:—
Good quality Over 3.8% of fat.
Fair „ Between 3.35 and 3.8% of fat.
Poor „ „ 3.0 and 3.35% of fat.
Of the samples examined during the year, 48 were returned as of
of "Good" quality, 56 as "Fair" and 11 as "Poor."
At the beginning of next year, the 1st January, 1937, those parts of
the Milk (Special Designations) Order, 1936, will commence to operate
which deal with the method of examination of Tuberculin-tested milk
and Accredited Milk by the methylene-blue test instead of the bacteriological
plate-count method.
GROUND ALMONDS.
Owing to the Spanish Civil War there was a shortage of almonds at
the commencement of the Christmas season, and various substitutes
were sold for ground almonds. One sample submitted as a "Ground
Almond Mixture" proved to consist of ground apricot kernels. Another
sample was obviously stale, but no exception could be taken to it; the
third sample was quite satisfactory.
CAMEMBERT CHEESE.
A sample of Camembert cheese was submitted for examination, as it
was thought to have been the cause of poisoning. Although it was
examined very carefully, no deleterious matter of a chemical or bacteriological
nature could be detected. In cases of this type a careful examination
will usually indicate whether a foodstuff has been tampered with or
not. The probability is that if any substance were present which would
poison a human being, and if this substance had gained access during
the preparation of the cheese, the micro-organisms which are responsible
for the proper ripening of the cheese would have been affected. In the
same manner, if any pathogenic bacteria had been present, they would