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60
A luncheon meat contained 18 per cent loose fat and jelly and a minced beef loaf contained
grit.
The ingredients of a so-called frosting mixture were incorrectly declared. The description
'shortening with mono- and diglycerides and freshness preserver added' is not acceptable in
this country. The anti-oxidant, if declared, must be stated as anti-oxidant, and shortening should
be disclosed as edible fat. If the mono- and diglycerides were in sufficient quantities they must
now be declared as partial glycerol esters, according to the Emulsifiers and Stabilisers in Food
Regulations, 1962.
Some pickled gherkins contained 1.2 per cent of undeclared salt, and, although the importers
maintained that salt is a spice, it is not. They agreed to add the word salt to future labels,
product described as home grown pickled beetroot also contained 0.4 per cent of salt not declared
on the label. This was probably due to the fact that the beetroot used for making pickles had
been preserved with salt until made up into pickles, and if this was so, it was doubtful whether
the description 'home grown' was correct, because a home grown article is a product made frojn
fresh, as distinct from, preserved food. Some pickled cucumber was labelled as containing
preservative and colour, but the Preservative Regulations require the presence of a preservative
in pickles to be declared on a panel in the label. Only 16 parts per million of benzoic acid could
be detected, and although the product contained only 1.1 per cent of salt and 0.9 per cent of acid
as acetic acid, there was no tendency for bacteria or moulds to grow. It was thought possible that
some preservative, which your analyst was unable to detect, may really have been present. The
ingredients had not been listed in their correct order.
A malt vinegar was low in acetic acid, was cloudy, and contained vinegar eels, together
with some mites and vinegar flies. A little mould mycelium and yeast were also present.
A mint jelly contained only 0.32 per cent of dried mint, equivalent, at the most, to 2 per
cent of fresh mint. Your analyst had previously taken exception to the small amount of mint in
this product through other Authorities. Using the analogy of a well-known brand of marmalade, the
manufacturers claimed that they knew what their public required and saw no reason to use more
mint, whereas your analyst considered that the flavouring of mint should be derived from the
mint content rather than from added flavouring.
A coconut oil possessed a tallowy flavour due to oxidation. The peroxide value was 8.4
which was definitely high. Two follow up samples possessed peroxide values of 7.35 and 4.07
respectively. These results were also high, and showed carelessness in refining, though they
may have been caused partly by a large volume of air distributed in the oil.
Complaint was made that some cauliflower cheese, served at an Old Peoples'Luncheon Cluh,
was unfit to eat. The complaint appeared to be justified as the cauliflower was improperly
prepared and badly cooked. It had not been properly washed and was full of minute worms. Instead
of a cheese sauce, a large amount of very strong cheese had been used, making the whole too rich
for elderly people.
The fat of two stuffing mixtures contained respectively 8 per cent and 13 per cent of free
fatty acids calculated as oleic acid. Manufacturers will always have trouble with these stuffing
mixtures because the enzymes in the herbs liberate free fatty acids in the fat and, either the
fat or the herbs should be placed in separate containers.
Some glace cherries were satisfactory except that they contained 180 parts per million pf
sulphur dioxide, whereas the maximum permitted quantity is 100 parts per million. A follow-Up
sample received early in 1963 contained only 63 parts per million.
A Spanish rice mixture was incorrectly labelled as the ingredients were listed in the wrong
order of magnitude. Bacon was declared as pork, and onion was given as the second largest
constituent when it could not be detected. The manufacturers claimed that onion was included,
and agreed to amend the label regarding bacon.