London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Kensington 1927
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Kensington]
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(c) In regard to the foods mentioned in the first column of the following table, there will be no offence under the Regulations in respect of the presence of either sulphur dioxide or benzoic acid provided that the preservative is not present in a proportion greater than that indicated in the third column.
| Food. | Preservative. | Parts per Million. |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Sausages and sausage meat containing raw meat, cereals and condiments | Sulphur dioxide | 450 |
| 2. Fruit and fruit pulp (not dried) for conversion into jam or crystallised glace or cured fruit as defined in items 6 and 7: | ||
| (a) Cherries | „ „ | 3,000 |
| (b) Strawberries and raspberries | „ „ | 2,000 |
| (c) Other fruit | „ „ | 1,500 |
| 3. Dried fruit: | ||
| (a) Apricots, peaches, nectarines, apples and pears | „ „ | 2,000 |
| (b) Raisins and sultanas | „ „ | 750 |
| 4. Unfermented grape juice and non-alcoholic wine made from such grape juice if labelled in accordance with the rules contained in the Second Schedule to these Regulations | Benzoic acid | 2,000 |
| 5. Other non-alcoholic wines, cordials and fruit juices, sweetened or unsweetened | Either sulphur dioxide or benzoic acid | 350 |
| 600 | ||
| 6 Jam (including marmalade and fruit jelly prepared in the way in which jam is prepared) | Sulphur dioxide | 40 |
| 7 Crystallised glace or cured fruit (including candied peel) | „ „ | 100 |
| 7a.Fruit and fruit pulp, not otherwise specified in this Schedule | „ „ | 350 |
| 8. Sugar (including solid glucose) | „ „ | 70 |
| 9. Corn syrup (liquid glucose) | „ „ | 450 |
| 10. Gelatine | „ „ | 1,000 |
| 11 Beer | „ „ | 70 |
| 12. Cider | „ „ | 200 |
| 13. Alcoholic wines | „ „ | 450 |
| 14. Sweetened mineral waters | Either sulphur dioxide or benzoic acid. | 70 |
| 120 | ||
| 15. Brewed ginger beer | Benzoic acid | 120 |
| 16. Coffee extract | „ „ | 450 |
| 17. Pickles and sauces made from fruit or vegetables | „ „ | 250 |
If sulphur dioxide or benzoic acid is added to sausages, sausage meat, coffee extract,
pickles, sauces, and (where the proportion of benzoic acid exceeds 600 parts per million)
grape juice and wine, there must be a printed declaration attached to the foodstuff which
must be in the following form:—
(These sausages or) CONTAINS
(This coffee extract, etc.)
PRESERVATIVE.
Il any dealer sells a preservative for use by traders, the product must bear a label on
which is a printed declaration in the following form:—
THIS PRESERVATIVE CONTAINS
(a) PER CENT OF SULPHUR
DIOXIDE (OR BENZOIC ACID).
At "(a)" the exact percentage must be inserted.
Colouring Matters.— From January 1st, 1927, no person may manufacture for sale or sell any
article of food which contains any of the following colouring matters : (a) compounds of any of the
following metals:— antimony, arsenic, cadium, chromium, copper, mercury, lead, zinc ; (b) gamboge ;
(c) coal tar colours, such as picric acid, Victoria yellow, Manchester yellow, aurantia, aurine.