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53
The Ice Cream (Heat Treatment etc.) (Amendment) Regulations. 1963.
have been issued to permit the addition of sugar as well as water to an ice
cream mix, which has been prepared according to the requirements of the main
regulations.
The Milk (Special Designations) Regulations, 1963. follow the main
lines of previous regulations, but now introduce a test for the efficiency
of the heating of so-called sterilised milk,, This test depends on the
coagulation of a protein, lactalbumen, during the heating of the milk.
The Soft Drinks Regulations, 1963. increase the quantity of fruit
juice or comminuted fruit required to be present in fruit drinks and permit
the sale of comminuted fruit drinks made from citrus fruits other than oranges
They increase the quantity of sugar required to be present in soft drinks and
reduce the permitted amount of saccharin. If present it is now necessary
to declare the presence of saccharin on the label of any soft drink.
Unfortunately it is still permissible to use acetic acid or phosphoric acid
in soft drinks so long as they are not described as fruit squashes, fruit
crushes, or comminuted citrus drinks, but it is now illegal to use any
pictorial device or any wording to suggest the presence of fruit which is not
represented in the flavouring of the drink.
The Weights and Measures Act, 1963, and the Weights and Measures
Regulations, 1963, mainly affect Weights and Measures Authorities, though
attention will have to be paid to the net contents of pre-packed foods, when
examining such articles.
Report of the Food Standards Committee on Meat Pies. This report
was issued during the year and at the beginning of 1964 draft regulations
have been issued based on the recommendations as modified in view of comments
received by the Minister. Essentially the proposals are that meat pies
should contain not less than 25 per cent of meat, though pies weighing between
4 and 5½ ounces need contain only 1 ounce of meat and those weighing up to
3 ounces need contain only 5/8 ounce of meat. It is further suggested that
in the event of the quality of larger pies, i.e. those over 8 ounces declining
as a result of any regulations, it might be necessary to issue regulations
for larger meat pies. Suggestions were included in the report regarding the
absorption of fat from the meat of a meat pie into the surrounding pastry.
Recommendations have been made to allow for fat in the pastry in excess of
certain figures, as having been derived from the meat.
A Circular, FSH/Circular 12/63 was issued by the Ministry of
Agriculture, Fisheries and Food advising Local Authorities that the Customs
and Excise are no longer testing for arsenic glucose or invert sugar used in
brewing and that this duty now devolves on Local Authorities in which breweries
are situate. Speaking generally manufacturers of these products see that they
comply with the regulations because of the great value of the trade, which they
have with brewers.
I have the honour to be, Mr. Mayor, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Your obedient Servant,
THOMAS McLACHLAN, A.C.G.F.C., F.R.I.C.,M.I.Biol.
Public Analyst.
Notes A table showing the various samples submitted for analvsia
appears on the following page.