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sage contained 12 parts per million of lead, whereas the maximum quantity permitted is
10 parts per million. A follow up sample contained 4 parts per million of lead only
and was therefore satisfactory.
A steak pie was reported as inferior because it contained only 15 per cent of meat,
whereas it must contain not less than 20 per cent. Another meat pie contained some
black matter consisting of a mixture of grease and iron, no doubt due to carelessness
in the bakery. One resident complained about the presence of black material in a
pork pie Examination showed this to be derived probably from a part of the snout
of a pig and although this is offal, it is not prohibited offal and the sample was
reported as inferior.
Two samples of pork sausages were slightly deficient in meat, containing 62 per cent
and 63 per cent of meat respectively. Another sample was reported as inferior although
it contained 65 per cent of total meat because the fat was in greater quantity than the
lean meat, the fat being 34 per cent and the lean meat 31 per cent. A fourth sample
was found to contain sulphur dioxide preservative the presence of which had not been
declared. This failure to disclose the addition of preservatives in sausages is often
due to suppliers of salt-spice-preservative mixtures not making it clear to sausage
manufacturers that sausages containing the mixture are preserved sausages and must be
sold as such.
A roll and butter was really a roll spread with margarine and not with butter.
A buttered roll must be spread with butter.
Two French pastries were claimed to have been made with butter, but examination
showed that they had been made with margarine, or a mixture of butter and lard.
A sample of cultured cream was improperly labelled in that there is no provision for
cultured cream under any food standard regulation or under the Labelling of Pood Order.
Such a product must therefore be labelled with the ingredients used in their proper
order of magnitude.
Several samples of cheese spread were incorrectly labelled, as they bore no English
labels. One had an English label on the inside of the carton container but not on the
outside These were really samples of processed cheese and should have had their
ingredients declared Another although not labelled in English was sold as a cream
cheese, and as such would have been 25% deficient in fat, and a further sample sold as
Camembert Cheese was in fact a margarine cheese. Nearly all these cheeses, apart from
the fact that their labels were not in English, declared their fat contents as "i. T."
which is the German abbreviation for "on the dry matter", but this is unintelligible to
the English people One sample was stated to contain 45% of fat on the dry matter
whereas it contained 29.75% and was, therefore, 34 per cent deficient in fat according
to its own claims.
The labelling of some sunflower oil was incorrect. It contained added vitamins
which were declared in international units per 1b. on the label whereas the Labelling of
Food Order required the declaration to be on each fluid ounce.
Samples of ice lolly mix and ice lolly syrup were incorrectly labelled as the
ingredients were not stated on their labels. As these preparations are not necessarily
soft drinks within the meaning of the Soft Drinks Order the ingredients must be declared
in accordance with the Labelling of Pood Order.
A slimming aid product was incorrectly labelled, and since it made a claim that it
contained "No drugs" it automatically made itself a food. As such all its ingredients
and not merely active constituents must be disclosed in their order of magnitude whereas
only three quarters of these ingredients were declared.
Food Legislation
The year brought little change in food legislation, although proposals were made
for such changes.