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PUBLIC ANALYST'S COMMENTS, 1964.
This year has seen a considerable activity in legislation and
preparation for legislation on Food & Drugs. The more important
Regulations which have been made under the Food & Drugs Act, 1955, have
been in connection with Meat, Soft Drinks, Dried Milk and Mineral
Hydrocarbons in Food, and a word or two about each of them will perhaps
convey more to readers of these comments than any considerable discussion
of individual samples submitted. All new Regulations are taken into account
as soon as they come into force.
The Meat (Treatment) Regulations were made in a great hurry following
reports of several cases of apparent poisoning as a result of the use of
'dusting powders' on raw meat These powders, which contained nicotinic
acid, vitamin C and dextrose, were applied to meat to maintain the red
colour of fresh meat and their use was deceptive and could mask deterioration
Nicotinic acid when used in limited quantities and properly distributed
is harmless but an excess gives rise to an unpleasant condition involving
flushing of the face and neck with tingling and irritation. There are no
permanently harmful effects The use of these powders obviously had to be
controlled and, by these Regulations they are forbidden.
The Soft Drinks Regulations These are not yet fully in force, but they
will help to control the use of terms such as 'squash' and 'crush', and they
will provide for the sale of semi-sweet drinks with lower sugar or sugar and
saccharin contents. If saccharin is used in any drink it will have to be
declared Unfortunately there is no requirement to specify the fruit or fruit
juice content which, from the consumers point of view is wholly desirable.
The Dried Milk Regulations prescribe new minimum and maximum fat
contents for the various grades of dried milk, maximum moisture contents and
labelling requirements.
The Mineral Oil in Food Regulations lay down a specification of purity
for any oil used in food in accordance with the Regulations. . The extension
of the permitted amount of paraffin in chewing compound to 60% appears to me
personally to be unnecessary and undesirable.
In addition to these Regulations, proposals for Regulations have been
issued for the purpose of standardising the meat content of canned meat
products and meat pies.
The Food Standards Committee of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries
and Food has also issued Reports and Recommendations reviewing the use of
colouring matters in food (it is recommended that 6 colours in the existing
permitted list be withdrawn and one added) and, in preparation for a revision
of the Labelling of Food Order, 1953, a First Report on Food Labelling. This
latter is of major importance to all who buy food and it is encouraging to those
of us who have always advocated that the maximum of information as to the
nature of the food should be given on a label that the Committee has adopted
this principle in all its deliberations and, in particular, has recommended that
wherever 'additives' have been used they should be declared. Amongst
numerous others, the Committee has made recommendations as follows
(1) That the addition of tenderisers to both pre-packed and non-prepacked
meat should be declared.
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