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(e) Apple Pie
(f) Pork Pie
(g) Sausage Roll
(h) Meat Pies
(i) Gooseberry Pie
(j) Cottage Cheese
(k) Buns
(I) Chicken
(m) Corned Beef
2. Extraneous objects discovered in food included: —
(a) glass in a sandwich
3. Insectsdiscovered in food included: —
(a) larvae in packets of biscuits
(b) dead fly in cake
(c) unidentified insect in carton of yoghurt
(d) live larvae in packets of potato crisps
4. Rodent contamination in: —
(a) biscuits which were partly eaten by mice.
The overwhelming majority of complaints concerned foods which were mouldy, stale, putrefied
or otherwise unfit. Have the standards of manufacture or sale deteriorated or is the public more
critical in relation to food quality? Certainly marked changes in food processing, presentation,
sales techniques and the generally good standard of hygiene in most City premises have created
a climate whereby customers expect to find uniformity of quality. At the same time, with increased
factory processing and pre-packaging it has become increasingly difficult for the consumer
to examine the quality and freshness of the food which he is buying, and reliance must be
placed on labelling and on the implied warranty that the goods are of merchantable quality.
During the investigation of some cases, the Public Health Inspectors found that perishable
goods were being sold long afterthe expiry date shown by the manufacturers' codes on the packets.
In one case a fruit pie was more than two months out of date and in a very objectionable condition
when opened by the purchaser.
The system of coding used by manufacturers on perishable foods leaves much to be desired.
In many instances codes are not fully understood by retailers and caterers and are a complete
mystery to consumers, if indeed, they are aware of them at all. Most manufacturers interviewed
by the Public Health Inspectors took great pains to show that staleness or the lack of freshness
of their goods could not occur prior to delivery to retail premises because their system of coding
and control was almost foolproof. The implication is that all complaints of mould, staleness
and other abnormalities of age must necessarily be due to lack of proper stock control by the
retailer. Investigations have shown that the system of control employed by most manufacturers
is weak during the delivery period and that so long as the present system of sales and deliveries
is continued on an incentive bonus and commission basis there will be a risk in the chain of
supply that goods out of code or near the end of their last day of freshness will find their way
into retail outlets among fresh deliveries.
Most retailers and operators of food businesses purchase their supplies from well-known
sources and rely on the good name of their suppliers to ensure that only good quality, fresh food
is delivered to them. Since, however, manufacturers cannot guarantee this beyond the gates of
their own factories, caterers within the City should examine all goods as they are delivered to
their premises, and perishable foods should be marked with the date of delivery. Complaints of
mould, putrefaction or staleness may arise from failure of the shopkeeper to ensure proper stock
rotation, but it may well be that the supplier is at fault, and unless the retailer can accurately
show the date of receipt of goods he is at a serious disadvantage in proving warranty.
In the final analysis the consumer has a right to expect good, clean, wholesome food presented
openly and preferably with a clear date indication of its freshness.