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38.
FOOD CONTROL
FOOD INSPECTION.
Food and Drugs Act 1955.
Section 2 (General protection for purchasers of food and drugs,)
In five cases legal proceedings were instituted following complaints
of food which was not of the nature, substance or quality demanded "by the
purchaser.
Nature of offence. Fine.
a) "The sale of a sweet which was not of
the substance demanded in that it
contained a stone," £15
b) "The sale of mouldy pork sausages," £10
c) "The sale of decomposed fish fingers" £10
d) "The sale of a bottle of orange drink
containing mould," £10
e) "The sale of mouldy pork sausages," £10
The sale of perishable foodstuffs in a stale condition is increasing
and appears to be due to neglect in the shops. It could be that these
goods are sometimes delivered to shops in that state but, due to the absence
of means of identifying the date of delivery, this can rarely be proved.
Retailers could, as a very few do, protect themselves by dating
their perishable goods on delivery either openly or in a simple code. By
this means, shop management would find it much easier to check for freshnesa
and thus protect their business AND their customers.
Unfortunately most retailers resist dating goods and rely on memory
and appearance to sort out the old from the new, a most unreliable method
in these days of prepackaging and refrigerated display. Without the
co-operation of the trade we must expect to buy and consume stale foodstuffs
from time to time.