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61
Two fruit flavoured syrups were labelled as containing l/10th of 1 per cent Benzoate of
soda. One contained 120 parts per million of benzoic acid and the other 132 parts per million
of benzoic acid which was approximately l/8th of the quantities declared. They, therefore,
complied with the requirements of the Preservatives Regulations but not with the labels, and the
importers agreed to amend the latter.
A small globule of mercury stated to have been found in some sweets was submitted for
examination together with a further quantity of similar sweets. No more mercury could be detected
in the sweets, and it was thought the mercury found originally must have come from a broken
thermometer.
The descriptions of sugar confectionery labelled as 'Ice Cream Sandwich' and 'Plain
Meringue Bars' were considered to be misleading. The filling between the wafers appeared to be
of a marshmallow type, it was not a meringue, nor could it be called an Ice Cream Sandwich. A
more accurate description would have been 'Marshmallow Sandwich'.
Several cans of salmon were' examined. Six were reported as inferior on account of their
poor flavour and colour.
Three samples of fish cakes were deficient in fish, containing respectively 30 per cent, 23
per cent, and 26 per cent.
Food Legislation
During the year the most important item of food legislation was the introduction of the
Preservatives in Food Regulations, 1962, together with its subsidiary The Milk and Dairies
(Preservatives) Regulations. The Preservatives Regulations follow the lines foreshadowed in the
Report of which a precis was given last year so that there is little object in repeating the information.
The number of preservatives permitted in foods has been increased to twelve, but in no case
are more than three defined preservatives permitted to beused for any specified food. A recommendation
by the Food Standards Committee that nisin should be permitted as a preservative for cheese
has been adopted. The chief item of interest, which had not been foreseen, was that no provision
has been made for an expiry date for the sale of pickles and sauces containing benzoic acid as a
preservative, so that, theoretically, the sale of thousands of bottles and jars of such products
became illegal overnight and has remained so.
The Emulsifiers and Stabilisers in Food Regulations, 1962, together with the Milk and Dairies
(Emulsifiers and Stabilisers) Regulations, 1962, follow very nearly the lines suggested in the
Report of the Food Standards Committee in 1961. The main difference is that definitions have
been introduced in these regulations, which will fail to satisfy everyone. Thus an emulsifier is
described as a substance which is capable of aiding the formation of a uniform dispersion of
two or more immiscible substances and, in the opinion of your analyst, this is a natural definition
which is long overdue, but many authorities believe that an emulsion must be a suspension of one
liquid in another. Similarly mixtures have been on the market for many years now called by the
simple name glyceryl monostearate. Henceforth these mixtures of indefinite composition become
partial glycerol esters, which in fact they are, although they often contain free stearic acid.
On the other hand, the term interesterification, not mentioned in the Draft Regulations, has now
been employed to mean the polymerisation which takes place when castor oil is heated, whereas
the word is known internationally among chemists to mean a re-arrangement of fatty acid groups
within a fat, which is quite a different thing.
The Pre-Packed Food (Weights and Measures : Marking) (Amendment) Regulations, 1962,
the Food and Drugs (Legal Proceedings) Regulations, 1962, and the Milk and Dairies (Legal
Proceedings) Regulations, 1962, enable Local Authorities, when taking proceedings for infringements
of certain orders, to take action against persons other than the vendor, if they are thought
to be responsible, thus making action under all food and drugs regulations similar to other
infringements of the Act.