View report page

- 61 -
present in various jams. The main provisions remain, however, unaltered.
Arising from the effects of this Order it is interesting to note that
various manufacturers have endeavoured recently to place on the market
various types of fruit flavoured spread analogous to lemon curd. Lemon
cheese or lemon curd has been known for many years and shortly before the
outbreak of the last war orange curd appeared on the market. The Food
Standards (Preserves) Order makes provision for orange and lemon curds by
requiring fruit curds to contain 4 parts of fat, 0.33 part of citric aciid,
and 0.125 part of oil of lemon or 0.25 part of oil of orange, together with
a certain quantity of egg and the soluble solid matter not less than 65 per
cent. It will be appreciated that the stipulation that a fruit curd must
contain either lemon or orange oil renders it almost impossible to market
products such as banana or apricot curd without inventing a fresh description
for them.
The Saccharin Order, which had been in force in various forms since early
in the war was revoked aid a new Artificial Sweeteners in Food Order, 1953,
introduced. This new Order prohibits the use of any artificial sweeteners in
food other than saccharin, and results from doubts as to the harmlessness of
dulcin and the believed harmful effects of P.4.000.
The Soft Drinks Order was revoked during the year and the Food Standards
(Soft Drinks) Order, 1953, introduced to take its place. The chief effects
of the new Order are to make provision for medicated and glucose beverages,
which had hitherto been manufactured since the outbreak of the last war under
licence, the application of minimum standards to drinks for diabetics and to
ginger beer and herbal and botanical beers, the omission of specific reference
to non-alcoholic wine, non-alcoholic cider and non-alcoholic perry, which are
now considered to fall under the heading of "any other description of soft
drink containing fruit juice". The Order similarly makes allowance for soft
drinks made from whole fresh oranges. This Order may give rise to questions
of interpretation and legality. The High Court decided that there can be no
such thing as "Non-brewed vinegar" because vinegar must be the product of
double fermentation and many people believe that there can, therefore, be no
such things as "non-alcoholic wines, non-alcoholic cider, and non-alcoholic
perry". The term "non-alcoholic wine" has been used for many years, but nonalcoholic
cider and. nonalcoholic perry have not even the custom of long use
to support them. Similarly there would appear to have been considerable
confusion regarding the names by which drinks made from whole orange should be
described and how much orange should be contained therein, but this point is
one to be settled in the future.
I have the honour to be, Madam Mayor, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Your obedient servant,
THOMAS McLACHIAN, A.C.G.F.C., F.R.I.C.,
Public Analyst.