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A number of complaints regarding foodstuffs were received during
the year, some of which are worth recording:—
(1) A portion of breakfast sausage was found to have a piece of
string embedded in it. Proceedings were instituted and the defendants
were fined £3 with £1 1s. Od. costs.
(2) Two bottles of milk (channel islands T.T.) were the subjects of
complaint. These obviously contained foreign matter. They were sent
to the public analyst who gave a lengthy report. The dirty deposits in one
of the bottles, amounting to 18 parts per 100,000 consisted of numerous
particles of vegetable matter and debris including those from cereal and
other seeds and from hay or grass, weighted and contaminated with
mineral dirt of a siliceous nature. There was no evidence of the
presence of dung or other wholly objectionable matter. The deposit in
the second bottle was similar in character but only amounted to two
parts per 100,000. Enquiries showed that the bottles, after being washed
and sterilised at a London depot, were transported to a farm in a
country district on an open lorry and uncapped. The significant fact
that the dirty deposits consisted of what has been described above indicated
that the bottles, shortly before filling, were placed in a position
near to some animal feeding stuff and that during transport, dust had
gained access. Although a decision was made at first to institute proceedings,
after detailed enquiries into all the circumstances, this was
abandoned and the facts were sent to the Ministry of Agriculture and
Fisheries. It was subsequently learned that the method of cleansing the
bottles in London and sending them uncapped to the country had been
so altered that an occurrence of this nature should not be repeated.
(3) A complaint was received in regard to the presence of pieces
of string in a loaf of brown bread. The largest piece measured 4 inches
in length whilst two smaller pieces measured l¼ and } of an inch
respectively. Proceedings were instituted in this case and the defendant
was fined £5 with £5 5s. Od. costs.
(4) A nail was found embedded in some sponge roll. Proceedings
were instituted in this case and the defendant was fined £5 with £5 5s. 0d.
costs.
(5) Several small pieces of wood were found embedded in a scone.
It was decided not to instituted proceedings in this case and a warning
was given.
(6) The presence of a pin, alleged to have been found in a penny
bun was the subject of a complaint. Careful consideration was given to
this incident and a number of factors came to light which persuaded the
Committee not to institute proceedings.
(7) A nail found in a fruit loaf was made the subject of a detailed
investigation. The Committee decided in this case not to institute
proceedings and a letter of warning was sent to the firm who made the
loaf.
(8) Complaint was made of the gritty nature of some imported
fruit cake and this was confirmed on eating a portion. A sample was
forwarded to the public analyst who reported that it contained 0.15 per