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to the following imported food—bacon and ham, poultry, and meat
and tradesmen dealing in these articles of food have been notified
by printed leaflets of the requirements of the Orders.
The Order relating to imported meat revises the requirements
as to making, and the Sale of Food Order, 1921, which dealt with
this matter, has been repealed in that respect. The new Order provides
for the marking with an indication of the country of origin,
on sale and exposed for sale, whether wholesale or by retail, of the
following classes of imported meat: Chilled beef, frozen mutton,
frozen lamb, frozen pork, boneless beef, boneless veal, salted beef,
salted pork, edible offals, frozen beef and frozen veal. Except in
the case of frozen beef and frozen veal, the meat must also have been
marked on importation. Generally the indication of origin must be
durably and conspicuously branded, stamped, stencilled or printed
in ink or stain, on the meat or by means of a ticket attached thereto
or adequately identifying the meat to which it applies, in letters
which must, except where otherwise specifically provided in the
Order, be not less than one-half of an inch in height. There are
exceptions to this general method of marking, as, for instance, when
shops deal with only one class of imported meat.
In the Order, "edible offals" is defined as meaning the
following edible offals, whether fresh, chilled or frozen, of carcases
of cattle, sheep and pigs Livers, lungs, melts or spleen, skirts,
tails, hearts, kidneys, sweetbreads, tongues, tripes and heads, cheeks
and brains.
It is only in connection with offals that the Order refers to
"fresh meat," that is, meat that has not been frozen, chilled or
salted, and therefore carcases or severed parts of carcases that can
be imported into the country without being frozen, chilled or salted
do not come within the scope of the Order.
There were two prosecutions in connection with the marking
and sale of imported meat during the year. In once case imported
lamb chops were sold as English; proceedings were taken under the
Food and Drugs (Adulteration) Act, 1928, for this offence, and the
defendant was fined £5. The other summons was taken under the
Sale of Food Order, 1921; in this case a butcher had exposed for
sale a number of joints of imported beef bearing tickets marked
"Prime English." This defendant was ordered to pay a fine of
£1 and £1 1s. costs.
In addition, 187 letters of warning or explanatory circulars
were issued to shopkeepers or stallholders regarding the various
marking Orders.