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During the current year in Circulars 1/63, 5/63, 7/63 and
15/63 the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has approved
the use of specified chemicals as alternatives to steam or boiling
water in the cleansing of vessels used for storage or conveyance of
milk and for the purposes of the Public Health (Imported Food)
Regulations, 1937/48, certificates in respect of the Federal Republic
of Germany, the Bechuanaland Protectorate and the Kingdom
of Morocco were officially recognised.
In Circular FSH 12/63 the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries
and Food drew attention to the fact that after 1st October. 1963,
H.M. Customs and Excise will discontinue sampling of brewing
materials in accordance with the Arsenic in Food Regulations.
1959. This sampling of glucose and invert sugar has been carried
out by H.M. Customs and Excise in the course of the revenue
control of manufacture, but with the disappearance of the sugar
and related duties in the 1962 Budget, the latter function has
ceased. The sampling will therefore fall in future within the general
enforcement responsibilities of Food and Drugs Authorities and
other local authorities. Arsenic in glucose and invert sugar does
not call for special attention and its sampling does not present
any special problems. At the moment no brewing is carried out
in this Borough.
Milk
Milk consists of approximately 87% of water holding proteins,
sugar, vitamins and certain salts in solution, has an average specific
gravity of 1.032 and has suspended in it finely divided globules of
fat to which it owes its whiteness. Normally milk contains 3% fat
and 8.5% solids-not-fat; it freezes at about—0.53°C. and its
chemical composition is subject to variation on a number of counts
such as the season and time of milking, the breed of cow, type of
feeding, etc. Milk as drawn aseptically from a healthy cow, contains
few bacteria but as it forms an excellent medium for the
growth of organisms every precaution should be taken to prevent
its contamination. It is, therefore, to be expected that this commodity
is one which is sampled extensively during the year.
Milk Supply.—The supply of milk continues to be under the
direction of the Milk Marketing Board, who, in this connection, act
as agents to the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. The
greater proportion of the milk which enters the Borough originates
from the Home Counties and the remainder which is of a higher fat
content, arrives from Devon and the Channel Islands.
Milk and Dairies (General) Regulations, 1959.—Under the
provisions of these Regulations each person retailing milk in the