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103
Of the two different processes which may be adopted for cooking, the
Portuguese consists of placing the salted fish on grills, made of inclined wire
struts, cooking in steam and then canning in oil and processing; whilst the
French process, which gives a darker product, consists of frying the fish on
the grills in oil before canning.
In some Portuguese factories, the grills were found on investigation to
be tinned with impure tin containing lead, or with solder, with the result that
some of the lead, attacked by the steam and salt, was absorbed in varying
degrees by the fish.
No doubt the action taken in preventing the further sale of these brands
of sardines will eventually have the desired effect of avoiding the contamination
at the source by the replacement of the lead-containing cooking grills.
All samples of sardines, etc., are carefully examined as to their identity
so as to ensure that fish of an inferior flavour, such as sild (small herrings)
and brisling (sprats) are not substituted for sardines; it is of interest to note
that young Horse Mackerel or Scad, a fish not usually sold for consumption
in this country on account of its coarse flavour and spiny scales, were found
on sale in tins as ' sardines ' in a neighbouring Borough this year.
Tinned Sild.—Five samples out of the fourteen analysed during the year
were found to contain excessive amounts of tin, and were accordingly reported
against, and the further sale of those particular brands suspended.
Whilst the ingestion of small amounts of tin with food would not appear
to be dangerous to the same degree as lead, a limit of 2 grains per pound has
been officially recognised as a maximum proportion, not only avoidable and
unnecessary, but also potentially deleterious to health.
In common with the experience of neighbouring Boroughs, the samples
contaminated with tin were found to be cheap brands, of Norwegian origin,
and the presence of this impurity appeared to be due to corrosion of the can,
arising from the age of the stock or from careless canning, as for example,
using insufficient oil or including salt water.
Five samples of tinned herrings and pilchards in tomato sauce were free
from excessive amounts of tin or lead.