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59
Some rye biscuits, labelled as 'Slimbread', contained 57.2 per cent of starch, and the name
was considered to be misleading. Something on the lines of 'Rye Wafer Bread' would have been
appropriate. The manufacturers stated that the biscuits were old stock. A brown wheat loaf, also
advertised for slimming, contained 16.9 per cent only of protein which is very slightly higher than
that of a normal loaf, and this is insufficient to warrant any claim for slimming purposes.
Mixed biscuits, of which some were chocolate coated, were very poor quality, and although
the chocolate coating could not be objected to it was doubtful whether they would find a market.
Some fruit chocolate crunch biscuits contained only 0.8 per cent of fat free dry cocoa and the
description 'Chocolate' was unwarranted. Chocolate cakes must contain not less than 3 per cent
of fat free dry cocoa and, as biscuits are a dry preparation, the chocolate content should, if
anything, be higher. The booklet entitled 'Advertising, Labelling and Composition of Food',
published by the Ministry of Food in 1949, stated that there must be a readily recognisable
quantity of chocolate in a chocolate biscuit.
Two sausage rolls were submitted for examination and, although one was satisfactory, the
interior of the other was mouldy.. Another sausage roll contained only 21.6 per cent of sausage
meat filling, whereas twelve previous samples examined showed sausage meat contents Of
38 per cent. Sausage rolls should contain at least 35 per cent.
A gingerbread mix was quite satisfactory in many ways but, when made up, the flavour
was that of a Christmas Pudding rather than of Gingerbread. The ingredients declared included
'emulsified vegetable shortening' instead of 'edible fat', and spices without a separate mention
of ginger. As the cake was called gingerbread one would have expected ginger to be the principal
spice and to be declared separately.
Two samples of sponge mixture possessed an unpleasant flavour when made up. The odour
and flavour was due to the composite fat supplied by a well-known manufacturer, who is unable
to explain why certain batches acquire this taint. The remarkable thing about the taint is that
most people are unable to detect it, whilst it is very nauseating to others.
A sauce mixture, supplied with a Sponge Pudding Mix, possessed a very turpentiney flavour
due to oxidation. The list of ingredients also included 'emulsified vegetable shortening", a description
which is unacceptable under the Labelling of Food Order. Another cake and pudding mixture
was flavoured with lemon although the illustration on the carton showed a jam spread of the
strawberry or raspberry type on the pudding. The ingredients also included 'glyceryl P.O.E.
stearate' which is meaningless in this country.
A pork luncheon meat, submitted because of a complaint, was incubated for some time before
opening and, on opening, there was no sign of any bacteriological growth, although the odour
was not as pleasant as it should be and the can showed sulphur staining. The sample also showed
some bright pink spots due to added colouring and a further sample was submitted so that these
could be investigated. It was, however, impossible to separate the added colouring from the
meat protein. Added colour is often employed in canned meat products, but its presence should
be declared.
Some cooked pork was stained with a violet colour which was either crystal violet or methyl
violet, and some uncooked minced steak contained starch, whereas it must be minced steak
without any addition.
A product described as 'Hamburger and Sausage Meat' contained only 62 per cent of total
meat and the title was considered to be misleading. There is a growing tendency to give products
double names, i.e. luncheon meat loaf, not luncheon meat, or meat loaf, and this product was
neither a hamburger or sausage meat. The report of the Food Standards Committee of the Ministry
of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, mentioned below, is most anxious that the word, or words,
describing a product must be that of the common or usual name.
The tinplate of a can of corned beef was attacked with the result that the meat was badly
stained on the outside.