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another stated, "this is the best, the picture of the meat is much better". One housewife
stated with reference to pork luncheon meat and chopped ham and pork, "I do not see why
they should have different names if they all taste near enough the same".
Information on labels is not much use unless consumers can put it to work and before
they can do this they must be told what it is all about.
Most consumers rather like their food packages to have glamorous labels, they do not
object to these being exaggerated and they are also in favour of having glamorous words on
the packs. In the midst of these conflicting desires protective legislation has to be considered,
this may be dealt with under the headings of quantity and quality.
Under the provisions of the Weights and Measures Act certain household products have
to be sold in specified weights. This list should be increased, in particular to include
biscuits and similar foods. The purchasers think they are getting ½lb packs when in fact
these may range from 5oz. to ½lb. It is almost impossible for the purchasers to work out
unit prices unless he is a genius at mental arithmetic. A suggestion has been made that this
could be overcome by stamping on each package a unit price. This would involve considerable
difficulty as prices are normally marked by the retailer.
The check on quality is the list of ingredients shown on the label these are listed in
the order of quantity and this should be stated on the label. As an example a tin labelled
meat and gravy should show first the amount of meat, second the amount of gravy and thirdly
the amount, if any other additions. If these items were divided into three groups it would
indicate more clearly and simply to the consumer the exact contents of the tin.
Where additives are present the best solution for labelling appears to be to use terms
like, "with permitted preservatives", "with permitted colouring" etc. The use of the word
permitted appears to act as a considerable reassurance to the consumer.
Turning more to the manufacturers contribution to the production of good and clean
food. The British public today spend some £6,000 million on food and more than half of this
is provided by the food processing industry, an industry that has contributed significantly
towards making Britain one of the best fed countries in the world. The manufacturer has
been able to provide at reasonable prices, good food which will give a well balanced diet.
Part of this has been done by developing technological methods of preservation that are
second to none in the world. The quality of these products can be best assessed by the fact
that over £130 million of them are exported each year.
An industry of this size feeding so many millions of people must ensure that its
products are as safe as it is possible to make them. There are few firms employed in food
production on any large scale that do not employ technical advisers including chemists and
bacteriologists. Many firms have their own hygiene booklets and notices for their employees
independent of Ministry publications.
Research within the food industry is continuous, it may be concerned with improving
the same product or developing new or improved products or devising safe methods of
packaging. In addition to research within individual companies the food processing industry
is served by at least five research associations. All these make their own individual
contribution to the food processing industry.
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