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Safe Milk
Twenty-nine samples of pasteurised or sterilised milk were
procured from retailers and tested to ascertain whether or not
pasteurisation or sterilisation had been correctly performed. Fortysix
inspections of premises were made to ensure that they conformed
to the requirements of the Milk (Special Designation) Regulations, 1960.
No infringements were disclosed.
The Labelling of Food Order, 1953
This Order requires prepacked food to be marked with the
name and address of the packer or labeller, or to bear a registered
trade mark; to be marked with its common or usual name or its
appropriate designation; and to bear a statement of ingredients if the
food consists of more than one ingredient. It also controls the
manner in which the presence of vitamins in minerals is disclosed.
A total of 210 premises were visited in connection with the Order and
1,166 articles of food have been examined. Letters of warning were
sent to the importers of three articles of food which infringed the
Order. In one of these cases a can of beans was found to be
labelled entirely in foreign languages (and mainly in Arabic); in another
case it was found as a result of analysis that the declaration of
ingredients was inaccurate; and in the third case jars of honey were
found not to bear the full name and address of the packer or labeller.
Labelling & Advertising Infringements
A considerable amount of work was done in the year which,
while it did not arise from samples and inspections in Hornsey nevertheless
has the effect of protecting the residents. The matters
mentioned below were of nationally retailed articles of food, which are
widely distributed throughout the County. Several manufacturers and
importers were reminded of the obligation to put on the labels of
foods the name and address of the packer or labeller. Similar
action was taken in respect of pickles, caaned peas and mixed
vegetables which did not bear a statement of ingredients. One
manufacturer of ice cream was found to be putting all the statutory
declarations on the base of the carton. He was reminded that these
declarations are required to be both conspicuous and prominent.
Two advertisements for honey did not disclose that the honeys
offered were of foreign origin. The Merchandise Marks Act requires
this, and letters were sent to the advertisers reminding them of their
obligations to declare the origin in advertisements. Some prepacked
lamb chops found to be generally on sale were of imported origin.
The declaration in such a case is required to be in half inch letters;
the lettering used was so small as to be quite inconspicuous, and the
packers were required to comply with the prescribed conditions.
Matters dealt with under the Food and Drugs Act by correspondence
included a sample of cream cheese containing less milk fat
than was considered sufficient to justify the title. Five examples
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