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Table 17—Sampling of other Foods and Drugs.
(a) Chemical Analysis—Samples submitted to the Public Analyst
under the Food and Drugs Act, 1938.
Foods.
Butter
Buttered Rolls
Cooking Fat
Coffee
Coffee Extract
Confectionery—Milky
Lunch
Doughnuts
Grape Fruit Squash
Honey
Ice Cream
Iced Lollies
Jam (Strawberry)
Ketchup (Tomato)
Mince Meat
Milk (Evaporated)
Milk (Condensed Skimmed)
Pepper
Sausage Meat (Beef & Pork)
Sausages (Beef & Pork)
Sauce (Tomato)
Vinegar
Whisky
Wine (British Ruby)
Drugs.
Aspirin
Cascara
Cough Mixture
* Glauber Salts
Liquid Paraffin
Olive Oil
Seidlitz Powder
With the exception of the Glauber Salts all these samples proved to be
genuine.
* Glauber Salts.
The Public Analyst reported that this sample had become affected by
evaporation, the resultant strength of the product being greater than the standard
laid down in the British Pharmacopoeia. The matter was taken up with
the manufacturers and the Public Analyst, and it was found that the evaporation
was due to the type of container used. It was not possible to effect any
alteration, but the manufacturers have agreed to investigate the provision of an
airtight container when the present packaging methods are under review.
(b) Bacteriological Analysis—Public Health Laboratories, Epsom.
(1) Ice Cream and Rinse Water.
81 Samples were taken and submitted to the Laboratories for bacteriological
examination. Owing to the numerous factors governing the hygienic
quality of ice cream and the experimental error of the laboratory test itself, it
has been found unwise to pay too much attention to the bacteriological results
of any given sample, and judgment is therefore based on a series of samples.
It has been suggested by the Laboratory Service that:—
(a) Ice Cream be provisionally graded into Grades 1, 2, 3 and 4, this
grading to be dependent on the result of the "Methylene
Blue" test.
(b) Over a period of six months 50 per cent. of a vendor's samples
should fall into Grade I ; 80 per cent. into Grades I and II ;
not more than 20 per cent. into Grade III and none into
Grade IV.
Following Laboratory Reports on doubtful samples, visits were made by
the District Inspectors to the premises concerned, and the necessary advice
given. The faults found have usually been due to carelessness on the part of
the shop assistants and not to the actual ice cream.