182 NORMAL MILK : ITS ADULTERATIONS, ETC. 



must, therefore, be considered undesirable. The author's ex- 

 perience lias shown that in London, the use of preservatives in 

 milk is entirely unnecessary ; no difficulty has been found, even 

 in summer, in delivering milk to customers in a fresh condition. 

 Cream and butter are on a slightly different footing from milk. 

 While the last is chiefly consumed for its food value, cream and 

 butter are chiefly taken to improve the taste of other foods, and 

 are consumed in comparatively small quantities ; being, more- 

 over, high in price, they may be considered as luxuries, and are 

 expected to keep for a longer time than is naturally possible. 

 It is readily seen that, under these circumstances, there is far 

 more to be said in favour of the use of preservatives in cream 

 and butter, than can be said when they are added to milk. 



Advantages. — The advantages of using preservatives to the 

 vendor are obvious ; they enable a perishable article to be 

 maintained in a marketable condition for a longer time than it 

 would otherwise remain so. As change from the action of 

 micro-organisms is not entirely stopped, the advantage to the 

 purchaser is by no means so apparent, and there appears to be- 

 a well-founded public opinion against the use of preservatives. 



A Departmental Committee of the Local Government Board,. 

 appointed to consider the question of preservatives and colouring- 

 matters in food, reported in 1901, and made the following recom- 

 mendations : — 



(a) That the use of formaldehyde or formalin, or preparations 

 thereof, in foods or drinks be absolutely prohibited, and that 

 salicylic acid be not used in a greater proportion than 1 gramme 

 per pint in liquid food, or 1 gramme per pound in solid food. 

 Its presence in all cases to be declared. 



(b) That the use of any preservative or colouring-matter 

 whatever in milk offered for sale in the United Kingdom be 

 constituted an offence under the Sale of Food and Drugs Acts. 



(o) That the only preservative which it shall be lawful to use 

 in cream be boric acid, or mixtures of boric acid and borax, 

 and in amount not exceeding 0'25 per cent., expressed as boric 

 acid. The amount of such preservative to be notified by a labe) 

 upon the vessel. 



(d) That the only preservative permitted to be used in butter 

 and margarine be boric acid, or mixtures of boric acid and borax^ 

 to be used in proportions not exceeding 0'5 per cent., expressed 

 as boric acid. 



(e) That in the case of all dietetic preparations intended for 

 the use of invalids or infants chemical preservatives of all kinds 

 be prohibited. 



The Local Government Board in 1906 issued a circular letter 

 to Local Authorities drawing their attention to the report of the 



