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56
these three samples were not considered toxic and it was agreed that the fruit could be
sold if wiped with a damp cloth.
A sample of Fruit Syrup, labelled as a pure fruit flavouring, was considered to be
incorrect since it was not a flavouring within the meaning of the Labelling of Food
Order. Some Gooseberries in Syrup contained 5 parts per million of lead and were low in
sugar, containing only 14.5 per cent. The fruit was tolerably good, but rather sour,
and could be sold if it was to be mixed with other fruit as in a fruit salad.
A Lemonade Powder examined contained tartaric acid, whereas lemonade powder must be
prepared with citric acid. Lemonade powder is no longer controlled by the Soft Drinks
Order, but was formerly controlled under the Soft Drinks Order, 1946, which stated that a
soft drink included flavoured powders or tablets.
The label of a Jelly Cream was considered to be unsatisfactory in that the label on
the face of the carton should have had the words "milk required" and after the descrip~
tion "Maple and Walnut" there should have been the word "flavour. It was thought that
people purchasing this preparation for the first time might believe that it was only
necessary to add water.
Some Pickled Onions were incorrectly labelled as the ingredients were not listed in
their correct order. Another sample of Pickled Onions was flavourless and the interiors
of the onions were soft. The acetic acid content was 3.96 per cent., but the salt
content was only 0.07 per cent. The onions were sterile, but had been badly pickled.
A Vegetable Extract for flavouring soups was incorrectly described as a preparation
of pure hydrolysed vegetable protein, although the chief constituent was salt.
Some Ground Nutmeg consisted of hard lumps and was therefore, considered to be
inferior. The nutmeg had probably been filled into the small canister from a large
container in which it had been pressed down hard for a long time, it would be useless for
purposes such as for dusting on milk puddings.
A product labelled Glycerin, Honey, Lemon contained only 0.05% Oil of Lemon and was
incorrectly labelled since the principal active constituents were liquid extract of
Ipecacuanha and the Honey of Squill.
Food Legislation and recommendations during 1956
On the Ist January the new Food and Drugs Act, 1955, came into operation and it was
anticipated that this would bring about many changes in Food and Drug administration
generally. but these changes are taking place gradually by a process of evolution rather
than revolution. The Act is in itself a Consolidating Act and repeals The Food and
Drugs Act, 1938, The Food and Drugs (Milk, Dairies and Artificial Cream) Act, 1950, and
The Food and Drugs Amendment Act, 1954, this last Act having been passed with the know
ledge that it would never come into force as such, but that it would provide material for
consolidation into the present Act. Whether such a procedure was wise or not is
doubtful: if the Food and Drugs Act, 1954, had been allowed to operate for a few years
before the whole Act was consolidated an opportunity would have been provided to dis
cover whether all its provisions were workable. From the public analyst's standpoint
there are several weaknesses. The definition of food in Section 135 is not as good as
that in the Food and Drugs Act, 1938. With the new Act one finds that a food includes
"article and substance used as an ingredient in the preparation of food or drink", but
sections 91 and 92 of the Act also provide for "substances" capable of being used in the
Preparation of food", and it remains for the High Court to decide what is the difference,
if any, between an article or substance used as an ingredient in the preparation of food
and a substance capable of being used in the preparation of food.
This point could have been resolved quite easily during the course of the Bill
through Parliament and, in your analyst's opinion, it should have been settled. Although
the first Food and Drugs Act was passed in 1860, there is still no legal definition of a
medicine, although the definition of a drug states that it includes medicine for internal