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delicate operations, which require much time and care to accomplish
satisfactorily. If the Local Government Board would state the
method employed by the chemists at Somerset House, it would tend
towards uniformity.
Butter and Margarine.—Two hundred samples were bought as
butter and 175 were reported to be genuine, although with regard to.
eight of them there was some dubiety in the mind of the analyst; 10
prosecutions were undertaken for substituting margarine for butter,,
and three for an excess of water (1.48, 3.1 and 8.l per cent. in excess
of the legal limit, which is 16 per cent.). A warranty was proved in
one case and in another the defendant absconded. The butter, which
contained l.48 excess of water, also contained 0.53 per cent. of starch;
a warranty was pleaded, but was not proved, the alleged warrantor
disputing that the warranty referred to this butter. The presence of
starch is unusual, but it is of interest to note that the Belgian
Government requires the addition of a small percentage of starch and
of sesame oil to each pound of margarine.
In one instance a prosecution was taken fur selling margarine in a
plain wrapper; the same person was also summoned for exposing
margarine for sale without a proper label, but as the actual purchaser
was not clear on this point, the magistrates convicted on the first
summons only.
Potted Meats and Fish.—Ninety.six samples in all were purchased
and 29 of these were found to contain boric acid; no legal proceedings.
were taken, as the majority of the samples were taken in compliance
with a request from Dr. Buchanan, the Inspector for Food, &c., of the
Local Government Board, suggesting that samples of tinned foods might
be taken by the Council and submitted without sub.division to the
analysts.
In accordance with the instruction of the Public Health Committee,
forty samples of eighteen kinds of food put up by twenty firms were
purchased and examined.
The articles and the number of each bought were:—
6 potted liara and chicken. 3 brawn.
3 potted chicken and tongue. 1 galantine boar.s head.
2 chicken and veal pate. 2 beef loaf.
2 potted turkey and tongue. 2 preserved beef.
2 potted veal and ham. 5 corned beef.
2 potted salmon and shrimp paste. 2 veal loaf.
1 potted ham and tongue, 1 devilled ham.
1 potted game, ham, and tongue. 1 Vienna sausage.
3 tongue. 1 herrings in.tomato sauce.
Apparently the ingredients were found to be as stated on labels, but
twelve were reported to contain boric acid in quantities varying from.
a trace to 163.t> grains per pound. These were:—