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During the year many complaints were received about loaves of bread. Five of these were
contaminated with oil from shafting indicating that much more care is required in the layout of
equipment in bakeries. Two loaves were suspected of being contaminated with rodent droppings,
but in each case the offending matter was found to consist of pieces of charred dough. Another
loaf contained a piece of coloured paper tissue which had been baked in the loaf, and another, a
piece of metal, although it was impossible to say whether this had been in the loaf before it had
been baked. Two slices of bread were submitted with a cigarette filter tip adherent to the crust
and there was no doubt that it had been baked in the loaf. It was the same type of filter tip as
smoked by an assistant in the bakery concerned. A malt loaf contained splinters of wood and a
piece of metal which had obviously been baked in the bread.
A doughnut contained some charred dough and small black specks Showing that greater
cleanliness was required in the bakery concerned.
The description of some cream biscuits was considered to be misleading as they were
made with vegetable fat and in accordance with the Report on Advertising, Labelling and Composition
of Food 1949, they should be described as "Milk* biscuits. The name "Cream biscuits*
implies a sandwich biscuit with a filling of fat, sugar, and flavouring. An in gredient of another
sample of biscuits was described as "Celugar", which was stated to be a trade name for
"Cyamopsis tetragonolobus?', a name your analyst found impossible to trace in the litera
ture, whereas the common or usual name for this plant must be on the label. Other biscuits were
stated to contain "Shortening" which at present must be described as "Edible fat", if declared,
although biscuits for the time being do not have to have their ingredients declared.
Some ready-cooked groats were badly infested with bread beetles there being nearly 200
present in the carton on receipt. There were numerous holes in the box, and it was difficult to
believe that the packet could have been in this state when purchased without the customer
noticing it.
A sample described as treacle (Molasses) contained 93 per cent of total solids include
ing 90 per cent of sugar and should have been sold as Barbados Sugar.
A Rumanian honey was thin in texture and fermenting slightly on receipt. The total solid
matter was 75.4 per cent and it contained pollen grains of Brassica and Clover. It was impossible
to say that it was not a genuine honey, but it was probable that it had been diluted with a
tittle water during straining.
Some sweets described as "Honey B" were stated to contain honey, but a list of ingredients
of the wrappers did not include honey. A sample of liqueur chocolates contained only 2.4
per cent of proof spirit, whereas your analyst considers that they must contain not less than
8 per cent.
Three cans of Irish stewed steak, were received as the result of a complaint and were
found to contain 97, 97.5, and 98 per cent of meat respectively. The contents of two of the cans,
however, were not jellied, and it was thought that there had been some fault in the processing
thus causing the complaint.
The meat content of a chopped chicken in jelly was only 75.5 per cent, whereas it must
be not less than 80 per cent.
A turkey and veal loaf was satisfactory, but listed "Caseinate" as an ingredient. This
must be described as "Sodium caseinate" or by the correct name of the form of casein compound
employed.
Some beef and veal luncheon meat was submitted together with a small beetle and examination
proved this was a plaster beetle, which had been cooked, so that it had probably been
in the can of luncheon meat before it had been opened. A can of corned beef was old stock and
the tin plate had been badly attacked. A slice of the meat in contact with the can contained 460
parts per million of tin, which is twice the limit suggested by the Ministry.
The foreign matter in a canned chopped ham and pork received as a complaint consisted of
cotton waste, which had probably been employed for wiping the machinery.
Adverse reports were made on several samples of sausages. Five contained 180, 220, 230,
240, and 250 parts per million of sulphur dioxide without the statutory declaration required by the
Preservatives Regulations, 1962. Two samples were deficient in meat, one of pork sausages
containing only 61 per cent of meat instead of 65 per cent, and another of beef sausages containing
only 47 per cent of meat instead of 50 per cent. Two complaints regarding sausages were
received, in one case because they were mouldy and in the other a piece of wire was present.
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