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15 3
preservative added. The object of the Regulations in regard to
Cream is to secure that " preserved Cream " shall be distinguished,
at all stages of sale, from Cream which is free from preservative.
It is thus open to the Council to take action with reference
to samples of Milk and Cream either under the Sale of Food and
Drugs Acts or under the Regulations; and the Local Government
Board expresses the view that it is generally desirable that in
cases in which it appears that the Regulations have been infringed,
that such action as may be necessary should be taken under the
Regulations, rather than under the Sale of Food and Drugs Acts.
All the samples of Milk were examined for preservatives. The
samples were all taken under the Sale of Food and Drugs Act,
and in two instances in which Boric Acid was discovered the
vendors were duly cautioned.
The 6 samples of Cream, although procured under the Sale
of Food and Drugs Acts, were specially examined with regard
to the provisions of the Regulations. That is to say, in every
case the precise amount of fat was estimated, and the nature
and amount of the preservatives also. In addition, it was seen
whether each of the vessels containing the Cream was duly labelled
" Preserved Cream containing Boric Acid," since the 6 samples
of Cream contained fat varying from 38 to 49 per cent, by weight
and Boric Acid varying from 0.18 per cent, to 0.35 per cent. Boric
Acid was the only preservative employed. The vendors of the
Cream containing the higher amounts of Boric Acid were cautioned.
No thickening substances were found to be added to the
samples of Cream examined; such addition is now made illegal
by the above Regulations.
Whereas it seems that in future the observance of the Regulations,
in so far as they relate to Milk, can generally be tested
by the ordinary operation of the sampling and analyses under the
Sale of Food and Drugs Acts, it will be well to provide for the
taking of a few further samples of Cream under the Regulations,
and to submit these to the particular partial analyses which the
circumstances seem to demand, in order to learn whether the
Regulations are being carried out.