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It is hoped that the measures of control instituted by the Ceylon Government will overcome
their difficulties and result in their export of a clean and safe article of food in order that the
restrictions at present applied may be relaxed.
THE LEAD IN FOOD REGULATIONS, 1961
These Regulations will come into force on 16th April, 1962, and prescribe maximum limits
of lead and lead compounds in various foods including non-alcoholic beverages; spirits and wines,
concentrated fruit juices, raw and refined sugar, apples, pears, tomato juice, puree, paste or
powder, canned fish and fish pastes, canned meat pastes, dried or dehydrated vegetables, cocoa
powder, tea, flavourings, spices and colourings.
It will be an offence to sell, consign, deliver or import any food containing lead in excess of
the permitted amount.
When any food is certified by a public analyst as being food offending againstthe Regulations
it may be treated for the purposes of Section 9 of the Food and Drugs Act, 1955 as being unfit for
human consumption and may be seized and destroyed on the order of a Justice.
Since the examination of tea ceased to be carried out by H.M. Customs & Excise and was
continued by the Corporation in January 1959, the lead content of certain teas, principally Formosan
and Indonesian, has occasionally been found to exceed the limit of 10 parts per million recommended
by the Food Standards Committee in 1954.
At present there is no statutory limit for the lead content of tea, and teas showing lead in
excess of the recommended limit of 10 p.p.m. have been released subject to blending with other
lead-free teas in such proportion that the resultant blend contains lead well within the accepted
limit.
The imposition of a statutory limit for lead in tea is welcomed, as although importers have
for the past three years been warned in regard to this contamination it is still found in teas from
the sources mentioned.
The penalty for an offence under these Regulations is a fine of up to one hundred pounds or
three months imprisonment or both.
IMPORTATION OF FROZEN PRAWNS
A regular importation of the above mentioned commodity has been carried on during the past
year. In the first instance bacteriological examination was revealing very high surface plate
counts which suggested in the case of the cooked prawns, unhygienic handling during processing.
In certain instances coagulase and positive staphylococci were isolated. These conditions gave
cause for concern.
With the close co-operation of the administrative staff and other interested local authorities,
representations were made to the trade and to the responsible exporters in the country of origin.
This same co-operation, which was greatly appreciated, has enabled the problems associated
with the sampling and detention of this commodity and arising from its deep frozen condition, to
be satisfactorily overcome.
As a result of this persistent combined effort it is gratifying to be able to report the great
improvement which has been effected with consignments latterly being found in an almost sterile
condition. However a strict control will continue to be exercised in respect of this commodity.
IMPORTED MEATS
During this period 382 ships discharged meat in the Royal Docks.
The work of your Inspectors during this period was directed towards the control of imported
meat by detention and examination and embraced not only inspection of apparently unsound meat
but also a continued effort to detect diseased meat and meats which might have been contaminated
with food poisoning organisms. It will be seen that the yearhas been outstanding for the considerable
quantities of meat examined for disease and the exceptional amount of time and energy spent on
the problem of South American Horsemeat.
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