34 FOOD LAWS OF THE UNITED KINGDOM. 



In 1907 a request was made of the Board of Agriculture and Fish 

 eries for legislation making it compulsory for local authorities, ii 

 cases where milk was found below the standards set forth in the sal 

 of milk regulations, 1901, to resort to the procedure known as th< 

 appeal to the cow. This procedure was to consist in the collection a 

 fresh samples within 24 hours after the inspector had collected th. 

 suspected milk, due regard being given to the amount of milk sen 

 out by the cow keeper on the day of the appeal as compared with th- 

 amount sent out on the day on which the sample was collected by tin 

 inspector. The Board of Agriculture and Fisheries does not appea 

 to favor this appeal to the cow being made compulsory, for there ar< 

 apparently serious administrative difficulties which would render sucl 

 legislation unwise. It appears, however, that when this practice ha 

 been voluntarily instituted by the several local authorities, som 

 useful results have been obtained. 



BUTTER AND MARGARINE ACT, 1907. 1 



On the 1st of January, 1908, the butter and margarine act, 1907 

 went into effect. This act is a part and parcel of the sale of food an< 

 drugs acts, but deals exclusively with the control of margarine 

 butter, and " milk-blended" butter. By the term "margarine" i 

 understood "any article of food, whether mixed with butter or not 

 which resembles butter and is not milk-blended butter." "Milk 

 blended butter" is any mixture produced by mixing or blendin: 

 butter with milk or cream other than condensed milk or cream." 



The butter and margarine act, 1907, provides for the power of entr 

 at all reasonable times by Government officers upon "premises regis 

 tered under the sale of food and drugs acts or this act, and to inspec 

 any process of manufacture, blending, reworking, or treatment use 

 therein, and to take samples for analysis of any butter, margarine 

 margarine cheese, milk-blended butter, or of any article capable o 

 being used in the manufacture, treatment, or adulteration of any sucl 

 article aforesaid." Margarine cheese is defined in section 25 of th 

 sale of food and drugs act, 1899, as "any substance, whether com 

 pound or otherwise, which is prepared in imitation of cheese, an 

 which contains fat not derived from milk." 



If any substance is found on the premises of a butter factor 

 intended for use in adulterating butter, the one occupying sue! 

 premises is guilty of an offense under the act. A legal maximur 

 limit of 16 per cent of water is placed on butter in cases where butte 

 is prepared for sale or consignment in a butter factory, which butte 

 has been made, blended, reworked, or treated in the factory. Milk 

 blended butter must not contain over 24 per cent of water. It i 

 likewise an offense to import into the United Kingdom butter con 



i See p. 22 for administration. 



