24 FOOD LAWS OF THE UNITED KINGDOM. 



also occasionally sends out special circulars relating to the adultera- 

 tion of particular articles or to the reports of the board's inspectors 

 of foods. Reference may be made by way of illustration to the cir- 

 cular issued under date of October 10, 1909, by the Board of Agricul- 

 ture and Fisheries. This deals with the results of examination of the 

 samples of products used for the thickening of cream. Two of the 

 samples contained solutions of lime in cane-sugar sirup, that is, 

 calcium sucrate, which is well recognized for its ability to thicken 

 cream when used in small amounts. The determination of the 

 sucrose and of the lime in the ash will reveal this adulteration. To 

 illustrate the type of memoranda sent out by the Local Government 

 Board to the local authorities, reference may be made to one issued on 

 May 25, 1910, under the caption "Sampling under sale of food and 

 drugs acts. " This memorandum deals with the sale of lard substi- 

 tutes as lard, the presence of water in lard substitutes, and the pres- 

 ence of paraffin in lard, lard substitutes, and margarine. Informa- 

 tion of this kind from headquarters can not but be of inestimable 

 value to the local authorities, as it keeps them in touch with the sub- 

 jects under investigation and suggests what adulterants should be 

 looked for. 



DISCUSSION OF THE PRINCIPAL FOOD LAWS. 

 THE SALE OF FOOD AND DRUGS ACTS, 1875-1899. 



The sale of food and drug acts, 1875-1899, and the butter and mar- 

 garine act, 1907, 1 are the laws which. are most interesting from the 

 viewpoint of those who have to deal with the adulteration of food, 

 and most of the prosecutions are based on these. The sale of food 

 and drugs act, 1875, is the basic law. The amendment to it in 1899 

 makes a large number of changes. The most important of these 

 changes are briefly as follows : 2 



The changes in the law occasioned by the act of 1899, which comes into operation 

 on the 1st of January next, are very considerable; the most important being (sec. 1) 

 the precautions against importation of agricultural and other produce insufficiently 

 marked; (sec. 2) power for the Local Government Board and Board of Agriculture to 

 sample articles of food; (sec. 3) the imposition on local authorities of a legal duty to 

 appoint analysts and exercise their powers under the food and drugs acts and power 

 for the Local Government Board or Board of Agriculture to act in their default; (sec. 4) 

 power for Board of Agriculture to make regulations and standards as to analysis of 

 milk, cream, butter, or cheese; (sec. 7) provisions as to keeping of register by manu : 

 facturers and dealers in margarine and margarine cheese, and power for officers of the 

 Board of Agriculture to inspect and take samples from manufactories of margarine and 

 margarine cheese; (sec. 8) restriction on the amount of butter fat in margarine; (sec. 

 17) the increase of penalties and power in the court to imprison in certain cases; (sec. 

 26) the enlarged definition of food. 



* See pp. 11 and 22 for administrative details. 



The Adulteration of Food, by D. C. Bartley, 3d ed., 1907. 



