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38.
The Secretary of the firm of bakers concerned explained that the
foreign matter was grease from the inside of the baking tins. He
expressed his regret and stated that steps would be taken to prevent
a recurrence.
The Committee decided that a warning letter be sent to the
owners of the bakery.
Mould in Meat Pie
Part of a meat pie purchased in a local cafe was submitted to the
department for inspection. The complainant stated that when eating
part of the pie he thought it tasted stale, and on cutting open the
remainder he saw "mildew" in it.
The proprietor of the cafe informed the Public Health Inspector
that a consignment of twelve pies had been received seven days before
the date of purchase of the pie in question. These had been sold and
a further six pies had been delivered two days after the previous consignment,
and placed in the refrigerator.
The Sales Organiser of the firm of manufacturers had examined the
remainder of the pie and expressed the opinion that it was much older
than five days.
The Public Analyst examined the pie two days after its purchase
and found a growth of mould (genus penicillium) on the surface of the
meat filling. He was of the opinion that it was at least eight days
old on the date of examination.
After consideration the Committee resolved that warning letters
be sent to the proprietor of the cafe from which the pie was purchased,
and to the manufacturers of the pie. The Committee also
requested that the manufacturers' attention be drawn to the practice
of some firms of marking containers with an indication of the date of
manufacture, and that the sale of pies etc. from the cafe in question
be kept under observation.
Discoloured Cornish Pasty
A very dark discolourisation of the meat content was found in a
cornish pasty on the day following its purchase from a baker's shop
in the borough.
On the day of the complaint the shop was visited and the manageress
stated that there was a written instruction issued by the Head Office of
the firm ordering all pies and pastries etc. containing meat to be
returned or destroyed after 24 hours in the shop. At the time of the
visit only one cornish pasty was in stock and this was found to be perfectly
normal. A representative of the manufacturers stated he was at a
loss to explain the condition of the pasty and could only suggest that
black pepper might have been used in this instance.
The pasty was examined by the Public Analyst who reported that it
was found to be free from physical evidence of putrification and mould
growth and no foreign matter was detected. He expressed the opinion
that the dark appearance of the filling was due to a drying out of the
surface.
In the circumstances, the Committee decided to take no action.