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hare and venison shall contain not less than 50 per cent of meat
and that the quantity of fat shall be not more than 50 per cent of
the total meat in any type of sausage. A majority of the Committee
recommended that with pork and beef sausages the pork or beef content
of the meat portion shall be not less than four-fifths of the total
meat. A minority thought that the meat should be solely that by which
the sausage is named. Your analyst agrees with the minority view
especially as with both pork and beef the religious susceptibilities
of members of the Commonwealth may be grievously offended at the idea of
unwittingly eating prohibited meats. It is doubtful whether the
Committee even considered this aspect of the matter.
The Report on the addition of emulsifying and stabilising agents
is comprehensive and recommends that some twenty substances, which may
or may not occur naturally in foods, are so commonly used that they do
not require legislation and further recommends that legislation be
introduced to control the use of super-glycerinated fats, synthetic
lecithin, propylene glycol or stearate, methyl cellulose,, methylethylcellulose,
sodium carboxymethyl cellulose, stearyl tartrate, the
diacetyl tartaric acid esters of super-glycerinated fats, monostearin
sodium sulphoacetate, or sorbitan esters of fatty acids. Other
substances, such as brominated oils and silicones, it is recommended,
should be banned.
Finally a revised Report was issued giving recommendations for
limits of the copper contents in foods, The general recommendations
are that ready-to-drink beverages should contain not more than 2 parts
per million of copper, other beverages 10 parts per million, and that
foods generally should contain not more than 20 parts per million.
There are, however, certain recommended exceptions, which need not be
mentioned in this report. It will suffice to mention that some
authorities have been pressing to introduce legislation to prohibit
the use of any chemicals in food. whose presence cannot be detected.
Your analyst feels that the Council will offer him their sympathy
should such legislation be enacted.
In conclusion it may not be out of place to mention that it is
extremely rare for the Council to be forced to take legal action in the
administration of the Food and Drugs Act. Your analyst is very
grateful to the medical officer of health and to his staff for the
patient manner in which they deal with points raised by him. Much
time is consumed and careful negotiations are required, but it is
seldom that manufacturers disagree eventually with our recommendations
and they are generally grateful for the help given to them. Food
administration in this country has changed entirely during the last
few years. Complaints from the public are generally submitted to the
public analyst through the Local Authority, and manufacturers and
caterers are learning that they act impartially in the public interest.
As the chairman of the Standards Committee of the Association of Public
Analysts your analyst has had the opportunity to see much behind the
scenes and he looks forward to the not far distant future when most
matters regarding the compositions, description, and advertising of
foods will be arranged by friendly negotiation with trade organisations,
and when the threat of legal action will be a thing of the past except