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35
It may be of interest to point out, from experiments made, that the quantity
of "improver" necessary to produce results seems to be most minute; certainly
as little as 01 grain of improver per lb. of flour acted most effectively.
Wine.
A sample of ginger wine was found to be preserved with salicylic acid and a
sample of raisin wine with benzoic acid. In one case where the preservative was
not disclosed on the label a communication was sent to the vendors and makers
expressing the hope that the use of the preservative would be discontinued, or
its use disclosed on the label. The makers replied that they were not aware that
the requirements of the Sale of Food and Drugs Acts specified that the use of the
preservative should be mentioned on the label.
The position about ginger wine is unsatisfactory. This is one of the wines
which, although generally sold in perfectly good faith as to their character, there
is reason to believe are often bought in the belief that they are temperance drinks.
Analyses of ginger wine, a wine often given to children at children's parties,
and frequently given with cod liver oil to cover the flavour of the oil, have shown
that such wine may contain as much alcohol as port, the most alcoholic of all
wines, containing 20 per cent, of alcohol by volume.
Obviously it is undesirable that children if they be given wine at all should
be given so strong a wine; it must often be one of the reasons why children are
ill after parties.
Many of the parents who purchase this wine are unaware of its strength and
do not know what their children are being given.
There is both alcoholic and non-alcoholic ginger wine; this must account for
much of the confusion. Non-alcoholic ginger wine can be bought at the grocers;
it costs from Is. 8s. to 2s. 2d. per bottle. Alcoholic ginger wine can only be
purchased at licensed premises, during licensed hours, grocers' shops having an
" off licence " being the usual source of supply. It costs about 2s. 6d. per bottle.
The vendor does not usually stock both the alcoholic and the non-alcoholic
wines; as a rule grocers with a licence only stock the alcoholic wine, and the
shop assistant therefore is not likely to ask the customer if he wants alcoholic
or non-alcoholic wine.
Firms whose names are associated in the public mind with aerated waters
make alcoholic ginger wine.
Again the expression green ginger wine is used for non-alcoholic and alcoholic
ginger wine,
C2