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73
1929
Sophistication of Milk.—The particulars as to the genuineness or otherwise
of the samples procured or purchased on Sundays, Weekdays, and at
Finsbury Park Railway Station are as follows:—
Percentage
Number taken. Genuine. Adulterated. Adulterated.
On Sundays 142 140 2 1.4
On Week-days 236 231 6 2.1
At Railway Stations 161 152 9 5.6
(Farmers' Milks)
539 523 16 3.0
SUBSTITUTION OF ARTIFICIAL "CREAM" OR OTHER MIXTURE
FOR GENUINE OR REAL CREAM IN CREAM CAKES AND CREAM
PASTRIES.
The Artificial Cream Act, 1929, came into operation on the 1st June, 1929.
In this Act "cream" means that portion of the natural milk rich in milk fat which
has been separated by skimming' or otherwise, and artificial cream means an article
of food resembling cream and containing no ingredient which is not derived from
milk, except water, or any ingredient or material which may lawfully be contained
in an article sold as cream by virtue of the special proviso in sub-section 2 of
Section 2 of the Food and Drugs (Adulteration) Act, 1928. This proviso " allows
any ingredient or material not injurious to health added to the article of food or
drug because it is required for the production or preparation thereof of an article
of commerce in a state fit for carriage or consumption and not fraudulently to
increase the bulk, weight or measure of the article of food or drug or to conceal
the inferior quality thereof."
During the year special purchases were made of cream cakes and cream
pastries. In the second quarter of the year, 67 informal samples were purchased.
Of these, 48 were "adulterated," the "cream" of the cakes consisting in every
case of 100 per cent, fat other than butter fat, that is to say, margarine. It will
be noted, of course, that of the samples 19 contained the genuine article, real
cream. In the third quarter of the year 34 official samples were purchased, of
which 29 were "adulterated," containing from 50 to 98 per cent. fat not derived
from milk. In the same quarter four informal samples were purchased which were
genuine cream. Regarding the official samples which were purchased, and which
were found not to be genuine cream, the Council's Solicitor did not advise prosecution,
holding that it was a "trade custom" to substitute foreign fat in the
"cream" of these articles, and that the customers were not prejudiced, as they
did not expect pure cream when they bought the cream cake. It is a remarkable
fact, however, that after the Inspector's visits the majority of the shops withdrew
the notices advertising the sale of cream cakes. The cakes were sold without
being labelled as "cream" cakes. It must be a little difficult, I think, to be sure
that the purchaser does not expect real cream in view of the number of samples we
got in which real cream was used. Another point is that in certain-articles the
housewife expects that they will be made in the same manner in which they are
made at home. Thus, a cream trifle should be made with genuine dairy cream
and not with an artificial substitute.
I he matter is one which requires a definite legal decision, for after all, is not
the customer entitled to know what she is purchasing? and an article labelled
cream should not be made with artificial cream, or with synthetic cream, which