View report page

291
[1910
not be issued against the vendor. He was, however, warned that when golden
syrup was again asked for, it must be supplied; and that as amber syrup
contains a considerable proportion of starch glucose, it was a punishable
offence to sell it as golden syrup.
Comparatively recently a mixture of genuine golden syrup and commercial
glucose has been placed on the market, but as a rule it was sold
only by the smaller class of tradesmen. The sale of glucose under the
name of golden syrup shows how necessary it is that standards should be
fixed for foods, for here we have a well-known article of commerce being
pushed on one side by an article that has no proper definition. It may be
a good food, and nothing is said against it in this respect; but a syrup
which is nearly all glucose can in no sense pretend to be golden syrup or a
substitute therefor, for whereas golden syrup is the produce entirely of the
sugar cane, the so-called amber syrup may be anything, and there is no
reason whatever why it should not consist of any substance of a sweet
character which is of a syrupy nature. If to-morrow a sample of so-called
amber syrup were taken for analyses, the first question that would arise
in the mind of the Analyst would be " What is Amber Syrup ? " and to it
there could be no answer, for amber syrup may as in this instance, be an
article containing 58 per cent, of glucose and 42 per cent. of golden syrup
or one consisting altogether of glucose and colouring matter. Meanwhile the
sale of this syrup may go on for years without the possibility of prosecution,
although it might contain ever varying proportions of glucose, or indeed,
it might consist entirely of glucose, or glucose mixed with any other syrupy
substance.
The sale of this amber syrup is a good example of how fraudulent
goods are palmed off on the public. As a rule I think it may be taken
that such syrup cannot be purchased from the larger grocers, and that its
sale is confined to the smaller class of shopkeepers who cater for the poorer
classes, to whom it is sold by the wholesale grocers at a price very little
under that of golden syrup, but at the same time sufficient to tempt retail
grocers particularly as it is certain to be represented as an article "as good or
better " than the genuine golden syrup, if indeed it be not represented to
be the genuine article itself. The people, however, reap no advantage, for
the retail price is the same as golden syrup, and, therefore, the poor suffer
through not receiving the proper article, for nobody would pretend that
starch glucose is as wholesome a food, or possesses the same sweet qualities,
as golden syrup.
w 2