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85
Of the total of 910 samples of milk taken during the year, 30 were
obtained on Sundays. One of the latter showed 28 per cent. of fat
abstracted. Vendor fined £5 5s. and £2 2s. costs.
Samples taken in course of Delivery.—Ten samples were taken as the
milk was being delivered by consignors to retail purveyors at shops.
Six of the samples were of good quality, and four were of "fair"
quality.
Public Health (Preservatives in Food) Regulations, 1925.
These Regulations, to which reference was made in the Report of 1925,
are not due to come into operation until 1st January, 1927. Certain
provisions relating to particular articles of food such as butter, cream,
bacon, ham, etc., etc., are to be deferred in coming into force until a later
date in order to allow a sufficient period for methods to be devised for
the preparation of those articles without the addition of preservatives.
After the Regulations come into force it will no longer be permissible
to manufacture for sale or sell any article of food which contains any
added preservative or any of the colouring matters specified in the Regulations.
In certain foods, however, specified preservatives are to be permitted,
but the maximum amount of such preservative in parts per
million is clearly defined. Those preservatives are Sulphur Dioxide and
Benzoic Acid, and the articles in which they may be put include sausages,
fruit (dried and pulp), alcoholic and non-alcoholic wines, jam, mineral
waters, and a few others, of which the examples given may be taken as
types.
As remarked last year, the Minister was unable to accept the recommendation
of the Departmental Committee to introduce legislation which
would make the prohibitions and limitations imposed by the Regulations
binding in proceedings taken in Courts under the Sale of Food and Drugs
Acts.
(Since this report was in the press a private bill which gives effect to the
recommendations expressed above has been passed into law. By its provisions
the presence of preservatives or other ingrcdients which contravene the
Regulations is declared to be injurious to health.)
The Minister considers that it would be well for Local Authorities
during the early period of operation of the Regulations to give the person
concerned an opportunity of furnishing an explanation before they
decide upon legal proceedings.
Although the Minister has been asked by the trade to introduce the
right to plead a warranty and has expressed sympathy with this request,
yet, in view of the statutory powers under which the Regulations were