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136
There are one or two points, however, which are of general importance to
all, notably the expression of opinion by various official witnesses that the
Sale of Food and Drugs Acts, as at present interpreted and administered, are
unsatisfactory for the purpose of protecting the consumer against arsenic or
other deleterious substances in food. The Commissioners themselves endorse
this view, and consider that the control which can be at present exercised is
unsatisfactory.
They are of opinion that official standards must be prescribed if the Sale
of Food and Drugs Acts are to be satisfactorily applied to control the purity of
food, and, for reasons given, they prefer to term these "Standards for the
purpose of the Sale of Food and Drugs Acts,"rather than "Standards of
purity." With respect to arsenic the Commissioners make the following
pronouncement:—
"In our view it would be entirely proper that penalties should
"be imposed under the Sale of Food and Drugs Act, upon any vendor of
"beer or any other liquid food, or of any liquid entering into the
"composition of food, if that liquid is shown by an adequate test to contain
"Tooth of a grain or more of arsenic to the gallon ; and with regard to
"solid food—no matter whether it is habitually consumed in large or
"small quantities, or whether it is taken by itself (like golden syrup) or
"mixed with water or other substances (like chicory or "carnos")—if
"the substance is shown by an adequate test to contain Tooth of a grain
"of arsenic or more to the pound."
Included in the Commissioners' recommendation as to improvements in
official control over the purity of food is one to the following effect:—
"We think that the powers which Medical Officers of Health at
"present possess under the Public Health Acts to obtain the con"demnation
of unsound or unwholesome articles of food should be
"extended. Where the Medical Officer of Health has good reason for
"believing that particular articles of food or ingredients of food have
"caused, or are liable to cause, injury to health, but is of opinion that
"analysis of samples is necessary before the facts can be fully established,
"powers should be given to lay an embargo on the sale of the suspected
"articles or on the use of the suspected ingredients, pending their official
"examination. The grant of these powers should be accompanied by
"the requirement that a Justice's order should be obtained, or by other
"provisions which are adequate to prevent their being used unnecessarily
"or improperly."
Should this suggestion be adopted, it is clear that one of the difficulties of
dealing with sewage-contaminated shellfish referred to in the Fourth Report
of the Royal Commission on Sewage would be removed—and in this connection
it may not be out of place to point out that the Commission on Sewage