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Regulation as regards milk is to come into force on June 1st, 1912, and
those relating to cream on January 1st, 1913. The Regulations will
also apply to imported milk and cream, and are made under the Public
Health (Regulations as to Pood) Act, 1907.
Butter.—A woman was summoned on two occasions for various
offences, being fined £3 2s. with 18s. 6d. costs on the first occasion, and
£6 with £1 costs on the second.. She went from house to house selling
margarine under the guise of " country butter."
Sale of Margarine Bill.—The Council petitioned in favour of this
Bill becoming law.
The object of this Bill is to prevent margarine from being coloured
so as to resemble butter and prevent its fraudulent sale as such.
The last report of the Local Government Board, Part 2, p. 102,
states that:—
" The fact that one sample of butter in every sixteen was
condemned shows that the practice of selling margarine when
butter is demanded has not been put down."
The experience of the Council's officers is that there is considerable
difficulty in detecting this fraudulent practice, which through the taking
of " unofficial" samples has been found to exist in Westminster, and
that the prosecutions which have taken place do not represent the
extent of the practice. They are of opinion that further means are
required to enable protection being afforded to the public.
Several suggestions have been made in order to meet this need, such
as the prohibition of the sale of margarine and butter in the same shop,
the addition of a distinctive colouring to margarine, and, as in the
present Bill, the prohibition of the addition of any colouring. The
objection to the last two methods has been that they might interfere
with the legitimate sale of a cheap article of diet, which would be
rendered less appetising to the purchaser. This objection was, however,
carefully considered by a Select Committee of the House of Commons
on Food Products Adulteration, who reported as follows:—
" However, your Committee cannot but feel that the adulteration
of butter with margarine and the fraudulent sale of margarine for
butter are greatly facilitated in many instances by the artificial use
of ingredients to colour margarine. While your Committee are
reluctant to interfere with the manufacture of any edible commodity,
they cannot in the interests of honest trading arrive at any
conclusion other than to recommend the absolute prohibition of
the artificial colouring of margarine to resemble or imitate butter."