View report page

Some years ago the Ministry of Health recommended that the level of food and
drugs sampling should be approximately three samples per 1,000 population per annum.
During the year, exactly 1,000 samples comprising 18 formal and 982 informal samples
of food and drugs were taken and submitted to the Public Analyst for examination, and
it will be noted that this is in accordance with the Ministry recommendation.
Of the 1,000 samples examined, 64 were found to be unsatisfactory. Cases
worthy of mention, where compositional standards were below minimum requirements,
included a number of cheese products sampled as a result of the coming into operation
of the Cheese Regulations, 1965; baby powder containing boric acid; canned pork
sausages with low meat content; pineapple and grapefruit juice with the addition of
tin chloride as an antioxidant which is prohibited; a vitamin preparation containing a
preservative contrary to the Regulations; ground nutmeg deficient in volatile oil on
account of long storage in unsuitable absorbent containers. The Colouring Matter in
Food Regulations, 1966, which came into operation on 1st June, 1967, do not apply to
drugs. Objection was taken to drugs containing the dye Blue VRS which is considered
by the Food Additive & Contaminants Committee to have possible toxic effects. All
unsatisfactory results were discussed with the manufacturers and importers concerned.
In some cases, all available stocks were withdrawn and returned to the country of
origin. In other cases manufacturers agreed to examine their methods and to bring
their products up to at least minimum requirements.
Labelling of Food Order
Samples of food and drugs subjected to chemical analysis were also scrutinised
to determine whether or not they complied where necessary with the requirements of
the Labelling of Food Order, 1953, and the labelling provisions of other Regulations.
Irregularities in labelling were discovered in 67 instances and in all cases the
attention of manufacturers and packers or importers was drawn to the infringements.
In the majority of cases arrangements were made to print new labels for stocks
immediately or undertakings were accepted that new labels would be designed and
used as soon as existing stocks became exhausted. A summary of the irregularities
found is as follows:-
Incorrect or inadequate description 33
No name and address 3
Incorrect or inadequate list of ingredients 7
No list of ingredients 8
Misleading statements 9
Use of generic terms 5
Inadequate size of printing 2
110