View report page

54
Owing to a complaint that primes were coming into the country coated
with sodium silicate which was causing gastric disturbances, a sample
submitted was examined by your analyst. The sample appeared to be coated
with a minute quantity of sodium silicate which gave them a polished
appearance, but the amount was insignificant and would not cause any gastric
disturbance.
A pineapple drink was badly fermosted and contained a large number of
yeasts and bacteria, the sugar being reduced to 0.4 lbs.per gallon. It
was unfit for sale and failed to comply with the Soft Drinks Order.
A tin of caviare and some appetitsild rings contained hexamine.
Hexamine is a compound of ammonia and formaldehyde and formaldehyde is
prohibited as a preservative in food in this country though its use is
permitted in Germany from where these two samples emanated.
The label on a tin of Seaweed and Sarsaparilla tablets was misleading
within the meaning of Section 6 of the Food and Drugs Act as it stated the
ingredients to be Ext. Fuci and Ext. Sarsae.The extracts are not
recognised in the British Pharmacopoeia or the British Pharmaceutical Codex
nor do they appear in any recognised book of drugs.
The formula was incorrectly given on the label of a sample of
Embrocation,, This liniment was also claimed to be useful for the
alleviation of rheumatoid arthritis and this contravenes the Code of Ethics
of the Pharmaceutical Society.
The composition of a sample of effervescent Health Salts was
incorrectly described, but as the product was being taken off the market
there was no necessity for any action in the matter.
Four samples of so-called vitamin tablets were submitted and in nearly
every case it was found that the vitamins,probably present originally,
had deteriorated on keeping,, One of the samples was not labelled at all
although it obviously contained a mixture of many vitamin concentrates.
It is doubtful whether any good purpose is served by these products being
sold indiscriminately to the public since the average person is incapable
of judging which vitamins they lack in their diet, but it is impossible to
interfere with this type of trade and the wisdom of any attempt to do so may
be disputed.
During the year several items of legislation or recommendations of
Committees of the Ministry of Food were issued, which are of general
interest to the public from the point of view of quality.
No less than three separate Meat Products Orders were introduced.
These orders were of particular interests, in that they were issued primarily
as enforcement orders and not as standards under the Food and Drugs Act.
For this reason Local Authorities and public analysts were not informed
either in advance or at the time of their issue by the Minister, but it
is probable that it is the standards, rather that the prices, which will
eventually be resurrected from their ashes, even the last order having been
revoked in 1953. The first order, S.l. 1952, No.507, removed the
restriction on the use of soya flour in sausages, but permitted the
inclusion of not more than 6 per cent. of skim milk powder in such products,
the milk powder to count as 60 per cent of its weight of meat. For the
first time minimum quantities were laid down for the meat content of many
meat products. As a result of this order the general methods for the