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"Occasionally frozen meat has been contaminated by the fumes from oil fuel. The taint is, of course'
most noticeable in the fat, but tends gradually to disappear in store, particularly if the coverings of the meat
are removed. It has been the practice to detain such tainted meat in store till no smell can be detected when
the fat is rubbed in the warm hand, or when fat portions of the meat are cooked by boiling. A few carcases
of mutton damaged by fuel oil or stained by charcoal insulation have come under notice, and, of course,
accidents to ships such as fire, collision, sea damage, &c., may result in the condemnation of large quantities
of refrigerated foods.
"Dairy produce of all kinds arrive in excellent condition. From time to time samples are taken for
analysis, but rather as to quality and purity than as to any change due to cold storage. The bad egg, of
course, speaks for itself, and no useful purpose would be served by the Port Sanitary Authority attempting
to carry out any extensive examination of imported eggs. Similarly, unsound fruit is not marketable, and
the Port Sanitary Authority are principally concerned to get it removed quickly from the docks. The
condition of Brown Heart' in apples is, however, one in which Port Sanitary Authorities do take special
interest, because externally the fruit looks quite sound, and therefore if it got into the hands of unscrupulous
dealers it might be sold to the prejudice of the public.
"I may briefly summarise the position as regards the inspection of refrigerated foods as follows:—
"It is neither practicable nor necessary to carry out extensive inspection as a routine procedure in the
ports, but we have ample powers and, if there is any indication either from our own observations or from information
received from inland districts that close control of any particular class of food, or food from any particular
source is necessary, we can detain whole consignments of such food and subject them to the most complete
examination before we release any part of them. It is, however, very seldom necessary to take such drastic
steps, for the best food in the world comes to the English market in the best possible condition and if, from
time to time something goes wrong, or some new standard is imposed, the merchants themselves apply the
remedy or adjust their organisation overseas as quickly as possible, and we are soon justified in relaxing our
hold.
"In conclusion, I should like to say that those of us who are brought into close touch with
the refrigeration of food without understanding the engineering details are astounded at the progress that
has been made in recent years, and at the accuracy with which temperatures and humidity can be controlled.
I have spoken only in regard to food arriving in ships, but refrigeration is being employed to an increasing
extent in restaurants, shops and private houses. I am sure such extension of the use of this ideal method of
preserving food will be welcomed and encouraged by everybody concerned for the health and well-being of
the people of this country."
CHILLED BEEF FROM AUSTRALIA.
The storage-life of chilled meat is limited by the growth of moulds and bacteria
and by the development of taint in the fat. Researches of the Food Investigation
Board have shown that carbonic acid gas inhibits the growth of micro-organisms
and delays the appearance of rancidity. A concentration of 10 per cent. of CO2 will
about double the life of chilled beef.
Recently several small consignments of chilled beef have arrived in the Port of
London from Australia. In some cases CO2 has not been employed, in others an
endeavour has been made to maintain a concentration of 10 per cent. of carbondioxide
in the chambers, but it has been found that leakage of gas has been very
great. Nevertheless, the results of the experiments are encouraging, and no doubt
efforts will be made to render storage chambers more nearly gas-tight.
It is, however, apparent that a great deal depends on the care taken in the
handling and transport of the meat before shipment and that conditions on board
ship cannot compensate for the previous exposure of the meat to infection by moulds
and bacteria and to changing temperatures.
THE PORT OF LONDON (ASSIGNMENT OF POWERS) ORDER, 1983.
In November, 1932, the Port Sanitary Authority made application to the
Minister of Health for an Order in accordance with Section 112 of the Public Health
(London) Act, 1891, assigning to them the powers, rights, duties, capacities,
liabilities or obligations of a Sanitary Authority under Part II. of the London
County Council (General Powers) Act, 1932. The Order was duly made by the
Minister and came into operation on 1st September, 1933.
Part II. of the above Act deals with Public Health matters, including the
compulsory registration of premises for the sale or manufacture of ice cream and
preserved foods, the making of bye-laws for promoting sanitary and cleanly
conditions in the manufacture, preparation, storage, transport or exposure for sale
of any article intended to be sold for food and for the notification of cases or
suspected cases of food poisoning.