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juices, but it is unlikely that many members of the public would place this interpretation on the labeL
Having regard to its analytical content, this jam should have been labelled:—
BLACKCURRANT WITH OTHER FRUIT JUICE.
LOWER FRUIT STANDARD.
This jam is guaranteed to conform to the agreed Lower
Fruit Standard of the Food Manufacturers' Federation.
The public health committee decided that these misrepresentations in regard to jam should be
brought to the notice of the Food Manufacturers' Federation.
(b) Tinned Cream.
Fresh dairy cream has an average butter fat content of 50 per cent. Many samples of tinned
cream have been examined by the council's public analyst, and in no case has the butter fat content
exceeded 25 per cent. ; it is in fact contended by the canning industry that technical difficulties
render impracticable the canning of cream having a higher butter fat content. Notwithstanding
that the samples of tinned cream taken in Kensington had a butter fat content not exceeding onehalf
of that normally found in fresh dairy cream, many of them bore labels making such extravagant
statements as "Rich cream," "A highly concentrated rich dairy cream," "In richness and in taste
equals fresh cream." Instances of contradictory statements on labels have also been encountered,
and the following is a typical example:—" Rich dairy cream—butter fat 25 per cent."
Legal proceedings were taken against the vendor of one sample of tinned cream which was
described as "A highly concentrated rich dairy cream," but was found to contain only 19 per cent,
of butter fat. The defendant successfully pleaded a warranty defence and the summons was dismissed.
Legal technicalities, mention of which is made later, prevented the council from taking any
action against the person who gave the warranty.
(c) Cream Confectionery.
During 1934 the public health committee had before them a number of reports dealing with
samples described as cream confectionery, in some of which the cream portion was found to contain
fats other than butter fat.
Proceedings were taken against one confectioner for selling a cream sandwich the cream portion
of which contained 84 per cent, of foreign fat, and a conviction was recorded.
Further samples procured in different parts of the borough showed that the use of synthetic
cream in this type of confectionery was quite common ; and the committee decided that a letter
should be sent to all vendors of cream confectionery in Kensington informing them that a cream
filling would be regarded as genuine only if it contained no foreign fat and had the composition of
dairy cream to which not more than 25 per cent, of stabilising, flavouring or sweetening substances
had been added, provided that such additions were not in contravention of any existing legal
requirements.
This action by the committee at first proved effective, and the majority of samples of cream
confectionery taken subsequently were reported by the public analyst as genuine. In due course,
however, two further instances arose in which the fillings were found to contain foreign fat.
Proceedings were instituted, but before the hearing of the summonses adverse decisions were given
in similar cases elsewhere in London, and it was decided not to proceed with the Kensington prosecutions.
It is of interest to record that, as a result of the committee's action a firm of caterers with several
depots in Kensington substituted the word "creamy" for "cream" in their descriptions of the
article in question.
The present position is far from satisfactory, for in recent months the council's officers have
had to rely on persuasive rather than corrective methods to check this misuse of the word "cream."
Although there is at present little cause for complaint in shops situated in the better class areas of
the borough, many shops in the poorer parts are still selling articles of confectionery under descriptions
which include the word "cream" when the fillings of such articles do not consist of cream.
Towards the end of the year, a box of chocolate slices was purchased from a shop-keeper. On
the top of the box was a picture of a dairymaid, and the words "Dairy Maid" were printed in large
type ; also in prominent type were the words "Cream filled." Upon examination these chocolate
slices were found to consist of a number of small chocolate-coated sponge cakes through the centre
of which was a white cream-like substance; the fat portion of this cream-like substance consisted
of fat other than butter fat.