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A sample of Cheese with Ham Spread was declared to contain 20 per cent.
of fat, bub contained only per cent., giving 17.3 per cent. of fat on
the dry matter. This sample was, therefore, 13.5 per cent. deficient in fat
if declared on the dry matter, but 83 per cent, deficient according to the
label. The importers pointed out that the label bore the expression "Fett
i.T." which means fat in the dry substance, but this does not inform the
English purchaser that the fat is described as being on the dry matter, and
still fails to account for the deficiency as calculated in the original
product. The importers pointed out that all the labels on German cheeses
must use the term "Fett i.T." but that they had discontinued the importation
of the preparation.
A sample labelled "Ham and Chicken" was thought to be incorrectly
labelled as it implied that it was probably Ham and Chicken Roll. The
manufacturers suggested that it might be called "Ham and Chicken, prepared
for Slicing" but this was not acceptable and it was suggested that the
product should be labelled "Ham and Chicken Luncheon Meat". There was no
more of this pack available and when the new pack is ready for the market,
samples were to be submitted for approval.
A product labelled Pork and Liver Pate contained 29 per cent. of fat
and 60 per cent. of defatted meat. Pork Liver was the principal ingredient
and the product should have been labelled "Pork Liver Pate" and not "Pork
and Liver Pate". The manufacturers agreed to amend their label accordingly.
Some Stewed Veal was submitted for examination because the purchaser
considered that it was mouldy and that the can was rusty. The tinplate was
of poor quality and showed signs of very bad sulphur stain. What was
probably thought to be mould consisted in reality of small pieces of fat and
pieces of stain due to colour coming away from the sulphur stained tinplate.
What was originally thought to be rust was probably sulphur stain, but once
a can has been opened sulphur stained metal oxidizes very rapidly so that the
top of the can had become rusty. The contents of the can would not have been
unfit for consumption had they been eaten immediately after opening.
A foreign body renoved from a meat pie and thought to be a tooth was
examined and found to be a small fragment of bone. The matter was investigated
by the manufacturers who informed the Council that the size of the
piece of bone complained of was too small to be stopped by the normal meat
mincing procedure, but that they would have expected it to be discovered by
causing an obstruction in one of the pumps, or to have been crushed. This was
the first complaint they had had.
Some curried prawns were incorrectly labelled as the sample contained
6.7 per cent. of fat and only 2.4 per cent. of ash, but the addition of fat
was not declared. Prawns like other crustaceans are low in fat and more
fat must have been added than some of the other ingredients. Other
ingredients included were garlic and tomato in this order, whereas more tomato
than garlic was present.
A can of curried mutton contained 9 per cent. of starch filler whose
presence had not been declared an the label. Another, of curried beef,
contained 4 per cent. of starch filler not declared on the label. The matter
was taken up with the manufacturers who submitted further samples of their
products and the sauce used in manufacture. They have agreed to have new
labels printed showing the ingredients in the correct order.