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39
During the year two samples of butter, purchased in the Parish
by the Grocers' Protection Association, were submitted to me for
analysis, with the result that each was found to be adulterated with
about 50% of margarine; and the Vendors were prosecuted by the
Association, and fined. One sample of Margarine was sold to the
Inspector, not in accordance with the requirements of the Margarine
Act, and the Vendor was cautioned.
From the Annual Report of the Local Government Board
for 1897-98, it appears that the proportion of adulterated samples
for the whole country was 9.4% of those examined. Milk was
the article of which by far the greatest number of samples were
taken and it is satisfactory to note that the 10.4% of condemned
samples represents the lowest percentage of milk adulteration
hitherto recorded.
The low limit of fat in milk adopted by the Society of Public
Analysts will certainly exclude naturally poor samples, when the
samples are, as in Towns, the mixed products of many animals ;
it is unfortunate, therefore, that the Court of Appeal when the
Analyst's figures are questioned, i.e. the Somerset House chemists,
should continue to base their opinion as to sufficiency of fat
upon a limit below that established by the other analysts of this
country. It is of the greatest importance that all milk sold should
be made to conform to a certain standard and it should be no defence
to show that it is a naturally poor sample Healthy animals properly
housed and properly fed will always yield a milk far above the low
standard adopted by public analysts for a genuine milk sample.
The high percentage of adulteration in milk samples by
no means represents the true proportion of the samples which have
been tampered with. A large number of the samples analysed
are only just over the low limits adopted for a genuine milk and
there can be no doubt that many of these have been tampered
with. In some cases old separated milk is added to new milk and
the product in these cases is often found to be deficient in natural
fat.
I have drawn attention in my last two Annual Reports to the
danger of using the cheap brands of condensed milk which have
been placed upon the market and which consist of milk which has