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- 63 -
To the Mayor, Aldermen and Councillors of
The Metropolitan Borough of Chelsea.
Your Worship, My Lord, Ladies and Gentlemen,
During the year 1956, 400 samples of foods and drugs were
examined. Of these 2 were taken formally and 398 informally.

These figures again indicate that during 1956 food was slightly
better than the previous year.
A sample of egg macaroni contained a weevil. No other packets
were found to be infested and it was thought probable that the
infestation had occurred at the time of packing in Italy. This
was the first complaint of this type the importers had received.
Some caviar contained 2300 parts per million of hexamine per
million parts of caviar. Benzoic acid was also present, but the
sample was not large enough for the quantity to be determined.
Caviar is not allowed to contain any preservative other than salt.
or salt and vinegar. The importers stated that as the commodity did
not come up to standard the whole consignment had been returned to the
agents, and they did not propose to handle any more of this brand in
future. Later the importer called to see your analyst and informed
him more of this product was on the way and that Chelsea had given him
permission to sell ito This statement was, of course, incorrect.
A sample of Italian butter contained 16.9 per cent of water,
whereas under the Butter and Margarine Regulations, 1955, butter must
not contain more than 16 per cent of water. The importers informed
the Council that butter is permitted to contain 17 per cent of water
in Italy. They held only a small stock of this butter in tubes, and
for future shipments would see that the water content did not exceed 16
per cent.
Sane brewers' yeast powder contained 3.5 parts per million of
arsenic and 78 parts per million of copper, whereas the British
Pharmaceutical Codex requires the arsenic to be less than 1 part per
million and the copper to be less than 50 parts per million. As yeast