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White spots on the remains of a kipper were due to the growth of
micro-organisms owing to the fish not being kept under ideal conditions
during hot weather; and a complaint was received regarding tinned fish
purchased from a stallholder, The labels printed on the cans had been painted
over and showed no name of product or packer, thus contravening the
Labelling of Food Orders Although the opened complaint can was bad on
receipt, the contents of an unopened can were sterile. The complainant
also stated the fish had been sold as pilchards, whereas they were in
fact herrings.
A portion of apple strudel with a pearl button were examined, and the
condition of the button proved that it had been in the apple strudel when
cooked, Some so-called parboiled brown rice of which complaint was made,
and a sample from a further delivery were submitted, The rice possessed
a very unpleasant odour but, if washed several times, most of the odour
disappeared although it was still unpleasant to eat, It required boiling
for 45 minutes to soften it, and it was thought it might have remained damp
for some time before being heated under pressure to burst the starch grains
which, however, had not allowed the rice to swell and resulted in the rice
requiring a longer, and not a shorter, cooking time.
The purchaser of a chocolate sponge cake complained that it tasted
of disinfectant, but the cake was old stock and the taste and odour were
due to the fat being extremely rancid. On the other hand, a canned cream
rice pudding possessed a definite flavour of disinfectant.
Some jam tart and custard served by the Council's Meals on Wheels
service showed unusual discolouration marks resulting from the use of a
coarse baking powder and improper mixing of the pastry, so that the
slightly acid portions of the pastry attacked the metal of the baking tin.
Those parts of the pie in contact with the metal were dark and the remainder
a normal colour.
A tin containing some decomposing peaches and mouldy syrup with a
larva were submitted, the complainant stating she had found the maggot in
the tin. The larva did not appear to belong to the fauna of Great Britain
and appeared to have been cooked so that there was little doubt that it had
been in the tin when the fruit was processed. A fruit fly was also found
in a plate of junior mashed peach mix, but owing to its small size it was
impossible to state whether it had been originally cooked in the mix,
although probably it had been.
A cook at a school complained that a plaster had been found in a can
of rhubarb, and the empty can and the plaster were submitted. The plaster
was discoloured and possessed an odour of rhubarb, but traces of sugar were
detected, indicating that the plaster had been in some sweetened fruit,
whereas the label on the tin declared the ingredients as rhubarb and
water only. It was probable the plaster had come into contact with rhubarb
to which sugar had been added and was not present in the original can.
Spots on dried apricots appeared to consist of congealed sap and probably
resulted from insect attack which had punctured the surface of the
apricots during growths
A salad contained the end of a homemade cigarette which, from its
appearance, had gained access during preparation. Another purchaser
complained that a potato salad was mouldy, and this was not surprising
as it had been manufactured on 26th March and not purchased until the
2nd May,
The contents of a can of spaghetti with tomato and cheese sauce were
stated by the complainant to have been mouldy on opening. They were
covered with mould when received at the laboratory but after emptying
and cleaning the can it was seen that the lid and surface of the tinplate
B.32