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In general, the food situation throughout the country is now improving rapidly, and whilst
the public need the protection of the Food and Drugs Acts as much as ever to protect them from
skilful sophistication, there is little doubt that many inferior products will disappear or be forced
to improve in order to meet the natural competition of other foods. With the reappearance of
proprietary products, however, the shelf life of foods in shops will tend to be prolonged and
greater care will have to be devoted to the keeping properties of food on storage.
With the improvement in the food supply, however, the public have tended to become more
critical and, as a result, more complaint samples have been submitted for analysis through the
Public Health Department than has been usual. Some of these complaints were justified and are
the subject of comments later in this report whilst no fault could be found with others.
A piece of bread was submitted because of the complaint that it contained what looked
like tobacco ash. It was found to contain gear oil and traces of corroded iron from shafting. The
bread had probably been made by machinery with the shafting placed vertically above the mixer
so that some oil drops had fallen into the dough.
A jam tart was alleged to have a bitter taste and on examination it was found that the pastry
contained fat of which the free fatty acid content, calculated as oleic acid, was 2.6 per cent, and
that the jam portion contained a red fibre which was derived from the fruit. The slightly bitter
flavour was due to the poor quality of the fat.
Some scones were submitted because of a complaint that they left a horrible taste in the
mouth after eating. No bitter flavour could be detected, but analysis showed that they contained
8 per cent, only of sugar which is very small for scones. As a result they possessed a very dry
flavour due to this lack of sugar.
Some cream crackers were alleged to have caused food poisoning, but although they were
very stale and out of condition no appreciable quantity of lead, arsenic or copper could be detected.
Biscuits are usually made in large quantities and cooked on travelling belts, so that it is hardly
likely that a few biscuits out of one batch would cause food poisoning unless they have been
contaminated by something of a bacteriological nature.
The only irregular sample of milk, according to the Sale of Milk Regulations, contained
only 2.10 per cent, of fat, but this loss was probably due to the cream having been accidentally
lost during transit. An unopened bottle of pasteurised milk contained floating pieces of brown
matter and adherent brown matter at the bottom of the bottle, which consisted of dried
decomposed milk. Your analyst was of the opinion that the bottle into which the milk had
been filled had been improperly cleaned, but that it had passed through the sterilising plant since,
although the milk was four days old, it was still not decomposed. A third sample of milk was
submitted because of a peculiar flavour. The milk was examined and found to be genuine but it
possessed a taint due to the cows having been fed on fish meal.
A sample of double cream contained only 46.1 per cent, of fat and was therefore 4 per cent,
deficient in fat, as according to the Food Standards (Cream) Order, 1951, it must contain not less
than 48 per cent, of fat. A sample submitted as pure Devon cream contained only 23.5 per cent,
of fat. In the opinion of your analyst Devon cream is synonymous with clotted cream and Devon
cream must contain not less than 48 per cent, by weight of milk fat. This sample was, therefore,
reported as being 53 per cent, deficient in fat.
Two samples of table jelly were reported as inferior because the sugar had crystallised out.
Whereas jellies normally contain about 25-27 per cent, of water, these had dried to such an extent
that there was less than 18 per cent, of water present.
A sample of raspberry syrup was reported as inferior as it was badly crystallised, and in view
of its appearance it would not be attractive to buy. It contained only 67.8 per cent, by weight
of sugar, so that it must have been very old stock for so much sugar to have crystallised.
Some prunes were submitted by a lady who complained that she had collapsed after eating
a portion. Your analyst ate some without any ill effects. The prunes possessed an unsavoury
flavour and gave off an unpleasant odour while cooking. This was due to the fact that they
had been dried by the modern method of smoking and not by sun drying.