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During the year approximately 2,900 samples were drawn and examined from the six City
warehouses and wharves at which tea is received, of which number 1,640 samples were submitted
to the Public Analyst for examination. He made adverse reports upon approximately 0.6% of these,
i.e. 0.37% of the aggregate.
The past year has been noteworthy in this field by chiefly underlining the success which
has attended the working of the Lead in Food Regulations, 1961, when a fair assessment of the
first year's operations in so far as the City is concerned became possible. It can be stated
that the enforcement of the Regulations which came into operation in April, 1962 has had a
salutary effect on the imports of lead contaminated tea entering the City wharves during the
year, since there has been a marked decrease in the number of instances where the limit set by
them, i.e. 10 p.p.m., has been exceeded. In fact, compared with the three years prior to that date
when there was only a provisional limit, and the average number was nine, there has been only
one case this year where the present statutory limit has been exceeded.
This absence of excessive lead contamination can be ascribed to a more stringent attitude
adopted by importers to the importation of such teas than hitherto. Whereas, formerly, there was
a tendency to rely on a less rigid application of standards which enabled importers to blend
the tea to within reasonable limits, the new Regulations which have come into force, of course,
strictly preclude this, and thereby afford the consumer more effective means of protection against
this insidious and cumulative poison. It is evident that foreign suppliers have been made fully
cognisant of the position with the result that the matter is being dealt with satisfactorily at
source.
In the one instance above-mentioned the importer was allowed to dispose of the tea for
chemical and fertiliser manufacture.
Another source of adulteration of tea rather prevalent during the past year, and affecting
mostly Argentine and African teas, has been contamination by minute particles of magnetic
mineral matter coupled in some instances with other extraneous substances including sand. In
many cases the contamination was not serious (the acceptable limit being 0.10%) and the consignments
were released with a warning, but in six instances the Public Analyst reported
adversely upon the amount of contamination, which ranged from 0.11% to 0.16%, rejecting the tea
for human consumption. Consequently they were placed under detention, but, at the request of the
owners, all were allowed to be re-exported except one, where on extensive re-examination the
proportion of mineral matter was found to average within acceptable limits and it was decided
in the circumstances to permit it to be blended under supervision.
It is thought that this type of contamination emanates from plantations being cultivated
on very dusty ore-bearing soils from which particles become implanted on the leaves.
IMPORTED FROZEN COOKED AND PEELED PRAWNS
It was apparent during the year that with the considerably increased importation of this
commodity there was a correspondingly great improvement in the bacteriological standards being
attained in its preparation, and it was therefore decided at a meeting of the representatives
of the Riparian Authorities of the Port of London that the time was opportune for a revision
of the criteria then generally recognised. The City Representative who had much experience in
the sampling of this type of food, and who had been deeply impressed with the remarkably good
results being received by him, especially those relating to Japanese Prawns, was constantly
advocating the adoption of a uniformly higher set of standards in conformity with this upward
trend. The Government Laboratory intimated that it was thought these high standards were
achieved by cooking the prawns both before and after the process of peeling, thus doubly sterilising
them prior to their being hygienically packed.
The new provisional standards adopted by the Riparian Authorities, which became effective
from June, were as follows:—
Plate counts of up to 100,000 per gr. at 35°C. warranted unconditional release.
Plate counts between 100,000 and 1 million to be released with a warning to use as soon
as possible upon thawing.
Plate count of over 1 million per gr. warranted detention.
The presence of pathogens warranted further consideration irrespective of plate count.
Subsequently, it was decided to supplement the above with a set of provisional standards
for "Uncooked Prawns" which were to become effective from 1st January, 1964, and wereas
follows
Provided each package for retail is clearly marked "Uncooked", the fitness of the consignment
is to be judged on the presence or absence of pathogenic organisms and not on
plate counts. They will also be subjected to the normal inspection of appearance, smell and
taste. Further, to avoid any future confusion, exporters to this country should clearly mark
packages "Uncooked". The Medical Officer of Health retains the right to decide whether
any particular consignment should or should not be admitted.
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