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that the puffs must have been kept for at least ten days before reaching
your analyst's laboratory.
Legislation issued or proposed during 1964
The year 1963 was a comparatively quiet one as regards food
legislation, but the year 1964 was busy, not because of the number of
Statutory Instruments issued, but on account of fresh legislation, which
is being initiated. The following items are of interest:-
Food Additives and Contaminants Committee
The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food decided to make
the above Committee a committee in its own right on account of the
importance that this aspect of food has assumed. He asked the Committee
among other things, to examine the leeching out of poisonous substances
into foods from any wrapping materials that might be employed.
Urgent attention, however, is needed about the presence of lead and
other toxic substances in children's toys and paints, which children
are likely to suck or chew. It is believed that lead and mercury
are causing more ill-health among children than was formerly recognised.
The Committee have also been asked to examine the whole subject of food
preservatives.
Colouring Matter in Food Regulations
The Colouring Matter in Food Regulations 1957 were considered
and the Food Standards Committee issued a report making recommendations
for amendments to these regulations. The Ministry is now adopting the
policy of keeping Statutory Instruments constantly under review and
amending them, if necessary, fairly frequently. It is now suggested
that six of the existing food colours should be withdrawn from the list,
that titanium dioxide should be permitted only for the surface colouring
of food, that the colouring of citrus fruit should be forbidden,
and that specifications of purity should be introduced. On the other
hand it is suggested that another black colour should be provisionally
added to the permitted list and that two named carotenoids should be
permitted. It is noted that no organic blue colour will now be permitted
in food if the recommendations are adopted and it is a remarkable thing
that no natural food appears to be coloured blue.
Probably the most important proposed piece of legislation is
the suggestion that the control of foods should be separated from that
of drugs and that the whole of drug legislation should be brought under
one main umbrella. The present proposals would, however, retain many
of the present anomalies of control, and doubtless more consideration
will be given to this in the near future.
During the year The Food Standards Committee issued a Report on
Food Labelling and, although the recommendations included some 72
provisions, there is little doubt that many of the proposals will have
to be modified.