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74
1929
latter is now usually termed "Confectionery Filling" in the Trade. Artificial
cream is made from dried skim milk powder, butter and water in an cmulsifier.
Svnthetie cream or "Confectionery Filling" is an emulsion of fats other than
butter fat, comparable to margarine, and is "covered in law" not by the Artificial
Cream Act but by the general provisions of the Food and Drugs Adulteration Act.
The honest way would be to lable the articles what they are— "Synthetic
Cieam Cakes." This would also be fair to the trader who uses dairy cream.
The Food and Drugs Inspector spent a considerable part of three months in
connection with the investigation of this cream substitute, and there is no doubt
that the results of this investigation raises the question of what is undoubtedly a
fraud on the public and unfair competition to reputable firms who use pure dairy
cream in cake making. In addition there is the damage done to the home dairy
industry by the substitution of the synthetic material.
UNSATISFACTORY CHURNS.
The Chairman of the Public Heatlh Committee and the Medical Officer of
Health took the opportunity of visiting a large dairy establishment which had
recently been opened with some ostentation, as it was undoubtedly very much upto-date.
The visit was paid on the day after the place had been on view. They
were astonished on entering the premises to be confronted with a considerable
collection of old, dilapidatd churns. Some of these were the worst the Medical
Officer of Health had ever seen, rusty, holes in the top through which rain, dust,
etc., could easily enter and contaminate the milk. These churns contained milk
an;l were just ready for despatch. On calling the attention of the Manager who
was showing us round to these churns he admitted that he could not justify their
use, but the excuse was made that they did not belong to the branch, that they
had been sent with milk, and were being returned. The firm were written to very
emphatically on the matter, and their attention was drawn to the fact that the
excuse was quite wrong and would not hold legally under Part 8, Article 29, subsection
2, of the Milk and Dairies Order, 1926, "Every person shall cause every
churn in which he distributes milk to comply, etc." The firm had from
the condition of these churns every justification under the Order to reject them and
not admit them to their premises. They were told that what struck us most on a
visit to such a beautiful up-to-date plant was that the whole scheme should be
nullified and rendered farcical by the action of putting pasteurised milk into such
receptacles contrary to the Order.
It is only fair to add that as result of this representation the matter was very
thoroughly and efficiently taken up at headquarters, and we have had no further
grounds for complaint.
Observation has been kept on the cleansing of churns as required by the Milk
and Dairies Order. These have to be returned clean. Inspections were made at
the Railway Stations, in the streets, etc. On the whole the provisions of the Order
were being carried out. Several firms were warned. In one instance, a particularly
bad case, a prosecution was instituted. Milk was sent from Aberdeen, and it
was found that a practice was made of omitting the cleansing before return. Some
of the empty churns were found to contain a pint of stale milk, bits of string,
pieces of paper, lead seals, etc. The Medical Officer of Health, Aberdeen, assisted
us in our enquiry, enabling us to state the conditions in which churns from the
particular firm arrived in that City. A conviction was secured with a fine of four
pounds and three guineas costs.