View report page

A number of Continental packing houses some of which it is true had
for some years been engaged in canning meat for the home market, greatly increased
their output for export, regardless of the fact that their curing methods resulted
in a satisfactory product for the home market for early consumption but would not
stand up to the severe test of damage in transit, of high temperature and a long
delay before final retail distribution and consumption.
Packing machines intended for the packing of fruit and vegetables were
turned over to the much more severe requirements of meat packing and could not stand
up to these requirements.
Two other factors also had played their part - first, the packing
houses could only obtain a tin plate from British sources that -was of too thin a
gauge for meat packing and, secondly, the containers were intended for use for
metric weights whereas the Board of Trade licence referred to avoirdupois weights.
This resulted very frequently in the over filling of cans without any head space
and these cans often gave all the appearances of blowing.
It must be said that the quality of much of the Continental canned meat
and canned meat products was considerably below that to which the British consumer
was accustomed.
A good proportion of these goods were handled by small agencies in the
United Kingdom without much, if any, knowledge or experience in the trade, which
literally sprang up overnight and were devoid of any sound financial backing.
The rejection of an unsound consignment was often, therefore, a disaster and it
would appear that in a number of instances the underwriters were badly bitten.
It must be confessed that there was big money in this young and in
many -ways undesirable industry and there is no doubt that huge profits have been made.
It is a situation which will probably continue so long as and until the
carcase meat ration can be increased. Meanwhile great quantities of good food has
had to be destroyed owing to defective processing and canning.
PUBLIC HEALTH (IMPORTED FOOD) REGULATIONS 1957 and 1948.
OFFICIAL CERTIFICATES.
During the year a number of Circulars were issued by the Ministry of Food,
each of which directed that the Minister of Food had caused to be published in the
London Gazette a Notice containing in the Schedule thereto, the description of
a label or stamp issued by various countries which had been recognised as Official
Certificates for the purposes of the Public Health (imported Food) Regulations,
1937 and 1948.
The Notice reads as follows:-
"The Minister of Food gives notice in pursuance of the above-named
Regulations that he hereby recognises the Official Certificate of
•which particulars are given in the Schedule thereto as showing
(a) that the meat to which it relates or the meat from which the
meat product to which it relates was prepared, was derived from
animals inspected ante and post mortem and passed in accordance
with criteria satisfactory to the Minister and (b) that all
necessary precautions for prevention of danger to public health
were taken in the dressing or preparing and packing of the meat
or meat product.
The Certificate being in the form of a label or stamp,
recognition will apply if the label is securely affixed to, or
the stamp is clearly impressed on, the package containing the
meat or meat product and the label or stamp has not in any other
circumstances or on any other occasion been used as an Official
Certificate"
The following is a list of the Circulars issued:-
Circular MF 3/51 dated 13th February, 1951 - Federal Republic of Austria.
MF 6/51 "17th March "- Government of Cyprus.
MF 12/51 "21st June "- Republic of Portugal.
"MF 15/51 "2nd August "- Grand Duchy of Luxemburg.
"MF 16/51 "29th" "- Republic of Italy.
"MF 23/51 "21st December "- Government of Tanganyika.
Circular MF 22/51, dated 17th December, 1951 directs that the Minister
of Food has caused to be published in the London Gazette a Notice revoking
(25)