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Letters of caution were sent to the importers of three brands of canned whole
chicken The labels on the cans were false in that the weight declared was not that
of the chicken but the whole contents of the can and this declaration was so framed
as to mislead a prospective purchaser In each case the weight of chicken was about
half of the weight of the contents of the can.
Safe Milk
Thirty-four samples of raw milk were procured and tested for the presence of
tubercle bacilli. All were satisfactory.
From the 1st January, 1961 the County Council became the Licensing Authority for
the issue of licences to dealers with premises within its area and 40 such licences
were issued in respect of the sale of milk to which the special designations
'Pasteurised' , 'Sterilised" and Tuberculin tested' could be applied. The period for
which these licences were granted has been extended from one year to five years sixtynine
samples of milk were obtained to test that heat treatment and subsequent storage
were properly carried out. All were satisfactory.
The County Council continue to licence those premises at which milk is processed,
three being issued in respect of plants in the borough. Thirty-five inspections of
premises were made to ensure proper compliance with the Milk (Special Designation)
Regulations, 1960.
Twenty-four samples of washed bottles were taken as a check on the efficiency of
the washing plant used for cleansing milk bottles All were satisfactory.
The Labelling of Food Order, 1953
The Labelling of Food Order requires prepacked food to be marked with the name
and address of the packer or labeller or to bear a registered trade mark; to be marked
with its common or usual name and to bear a statement of ingredients if the food consists
of more than one ingredient It also controls the manner in which the presence
of vitamins and minerals is disclosed.
In the borough of Heston and Isleworth a total of 190 premises were visited and
1,287 items of food were examined for compliance with the Order. Three infringements
were disclosed in one case the ingredients were not declared on a packet of mixed
cereals and pulses; in another, the ingredients were not declared on a flavoured milk;
and in the third case there was an incorrect declaration of vitamin V content in
respect of a soft drink All these infringements were dealt with by letters of caution
to the manufacturers.
Labelling & Advertising Infringements
In addition to the detail given above, a considerable volume of work was done in
the period under review in respect of nationally retailed articles of food
Several manufacturers were required to designate the ingredients on labels of
Instant Coffee As a result of a complaint of the taste of a soft drink, investigations
made in my Department showed that there was phenolic contamination which arose from a
chemical reaction between chlorinated water and the phenol formaldehyde stopper The
manufacturer has modified the ingredients of this product to prevent the chemical reaction.
The manufacturer of a non-alcoholic wine was challenged on the ground that the
description was a contradiction in terms, and the label was amended to 'non-alcoholic
beverage".
The importer of a slimming food was challenged on claims made in advertising
literature as to the Vitamin concentration, and the literature was corrected.
A manufacturer's claim of slimming properties for Deducing perles* was challenged
and the product withdrawn The claim relied on the presence of purgatives and bladder-
wrack
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