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97
A considerable portion of the Committee's time is taken in
considering these complaints and the detailed investigations
required to present a fair and complete report occupy the Public
Health Inspectors in a similar manner.
Complainants must be questioned in detail as they may be
genuinely mistaken in their statements. Shopkeepers and food
manufacturers must be interviewed and their premises inspected
to ascertain the point at which the trouble arose. Where necessary
the assistance of Inspectors in areas where the food was
prepared or stored must be called upon. The further task of
preparing evidence is involved when prosecution is decided upon.

Not all of these complaints were justified. For instance,
glass in a jar of jam was found to have gained entry in the
complainant's home; some cases of mould on various foodstuffs
were due to overlong keeping by complainants; alleged foreign
particles in a tin of fruit were found on investigation to be pieces
of fruit; some complaints regarding the smell or appearance of
foodstuffs were due to the complainants being unfamiliar with
the products which were found, on examination, to be normal
and wholesome, etc.
The majority of complaints concerned bread. The articles
found in loaves, etc., varied from pieces of metal to dirt.
Complaints regarding milk were largely concerned with
internal staining of the bottles from various causes.
The presence in foodstuffs of mould growths, decomposition,
and the like, in such highly perishable articles as meat pies and
sausages is usually indicative of prolonged storage, possibly under
unsatisfactory conditions. The Inspectors lose no opportunity in
stressing to shopkeepers the need to dispose of such goods rapidly
and to maintain a strict system of inspection and "turn-over".