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a licence from the Minister of Food, but whereas the first Order laid down standards for dripping
and for horsefat for edible purposes, these standards were revoked by the repeal of the Order
and the promulgation of the No. 2 Order. In many ways it is to be regretted that, when standards
of quality, such as those relating to the quantity of free fatty acids in fats and oils, have once
been introduced, they are not carried forward in some way in later Orders.
The Public Health (Preservatives, etc., in Food) (Amendment) Regulations, 1953, and the
amending Order brought into permanent legislation the permission to employ diphenyl for the
treatment of wrappers for citrus fruits. The Regulations also allow the use of sulphur dioxide
as a preservative for certain dried vegetables and, for a limited period, the continuance of the
addition of borax to margarine.
During the year the Food Standards Committee by its Preservatives Committee issued a
report regarding the addition of anti-oxidants to foods. This report stated that there is no
objection to the continuation of the use of certain anti-oxidants in the preparation of foods,
such as ascorbic acid (vitamin C), lecithin (a natural substance generally associated with fat in
foods, especially in yolk of egg), tocopherols (vitamin E, present especially in the germ portions
of seeds), and citric and tartaric acids, all of which are naturally occurring products and therefore
not considered as preservatives in the legal sense of the word. The Committee also considered
that iso-ascorbic acid may be considered as similar to ascorbic acid. The Committee recommended,
however, something new to British, though not to foreign, law—the legalisation of two other
anti-oxidants, namely, propyl gallate not exceeding 0.01 per cent, and butylated hydroxyanisole
not exceeding 0.02 per cent, the use of both of which is permitted in the United States and in
Canada. The Committee expressed the opinion, however, that no additions should be made
to butter and that a periodic review should be made of the necessity to use any anti-oxidants or
to permit the use of others not so far allowed.
The Food Standards (Preserves) Order, 1953, replaced the earlier Food Standards (Preserves)
Order, as modified in 1950, which had been in force since 1944, i.e., since one of the worst periods
of the war. It abolished the distinction between fresh fruit and full fruit jams and modified the
quantity of fruit required to be present in various jams. The main provisions remain, however,
unaltered. Arising from the effects of this Order it is interesting to note that various manufacturers
have endeavoured recently to place on the market various types of fruit flavoured spread analogous
to lemon curd. Lemon cheese or lemon curd has been known for many years and shortly before
the outbreak of the last war orange curd appeared on the market. The Food Standards (Preserves)
Order makes provision for orange and lemon curds by requiring fruit curds to contain 4 parts
of fat, 0.33 part of citric acid, and 0.125 part of oil of lemon or 0.25 part of oil of orange, together
with a certain quantity of egg and the soluble solid matter not less than 65 per cent. It will be
appreciated that the stipulation that a fruit curd must contain either lemon or orange oil renders
it almost impossible to market products such as banana or apricot curd without inventing a
fresh description for them.
The Saccharin Order, which had been in force in various forms since early in the war, was
revoked and a new Artificial Sweeteners in Food Order, 1953, introduced. This new Order
prohibits the use of any artificial sweeteners other than saccharin in food, and results from doubts
as to the harmlessness of dulcin and the believed harmful effects of P.4000.
The Soft Drinks Order was revoked during the year and the Food Standards (Soft Drinks)
Order, 1953, introduced to take its place. The chief effects of the new Order are to make provision
for medicated and glucose beverages, which had hitherto been manufactured since the outbreak
of the last war under licence, the application of minimum standards to drinks for diabetics and
to ginger beer and herbal and botanical beers, and the omission of specific reference to
non-alcoholic wine, non-alcoholic cider and non-alcoholic perry, which are now considered to fall
under the heading of "any other description of soft drink containing fruit juice." The Order
similarly makes allowance for soft drinks made from whole fresh oranges. This Order may give
rise to questions of interpretation and legality. The High Court decided that there can be no
such thing as " non-brewed vinegar" because vinegar must be the product of double
fermentation and many people believe that there can, therefore, be no such thing as " nonalcoholic
wines, non-alcoholic cider, and non-alcoholic perry." The term " non-alcoholic wine "
has been used for many years, but non-alcoholic cider and non-alcoholic perry have not even
the custom of long use to support them. Similarly, there would appear to have been considerable
confusion regarding the names by which drinks made from whole orange should be described
and how much orange should be contained therein, but this point is one to be settled in the future.
Milk.—There are 169 premises from which milk is sold, and inspections made numbered 224. Owing
to the closing of thoroughfares south of Marylebone Road during the greater part of Coronation Day