Report of the Departmental Committee appointed to inquire into the use of preservatives and colouring matters in the preservation and colouring of food : together with minutes of evidence, appendices and index.
- Great Britain. Committee on Food Preservatives.
- Date:
- 1901
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: Report of the Departmental Committee appointed to inquire into the use of preservatives and colouring matters in the preservation and colouring of food : together with minutes of evidence, appendices and index. Source: Wellcome Collection.
52/548 page 10
![Mr. H. Dale, 15 Noy. 1899, 10 North of England when I spoke of Denmark. Of course, most of it comes to Newcastle-on-Tyne; that is the chief port at which the Danish butter is landed, I think, 296. At any rate, it does not take a shorter time for butter to come from Denmark to England than from Ireland to England ’—Not materially shorter, I suppose. 297. So that if they can get a ready market for their goods in England there is no reason why the Irish farmers should not get a ready market for theirs, caeteris paribus ? —As I mentioned just now, there is one thing which the Trish butter producer at present is fighting against, and that is the established preference which the Danes have got owing to their earlier adopting better methods. We are now engaged in trying to regain the ground which was lost during the time that Danish butter was becoming firmly established in England. 298. And you do not think you could possibly do that by adopting the method which the Danes adopt ?—I think it would handicap the Irish producer very much. 299. Why ?—Simply for the reason that in hot weather especially the butter would certainly begin to go off quality after, of course, I cannot say exactly how long, but after a comparatively short time. 300. The Danish butter does not go off quality, does iv? —It does, of course, if it is kept any time. 301. But you would not say, looking at the enormous sale of Danish butter, that in actual practice the receivers of that butter had any objection to it even in hot weather ? —No, of course not. As I say, Danish butter is mostly sold now to arrive, and it goes then into consumption straight away; but a good deal of the Irish butter that is sold here at present is consigned or shipped on the chance of ‘being sold. 302. (Professor Thorpe.) It is quite true, of course, as you say, that the greater part of the Danish butter comes into ports in the North of England, not only Newcastle- on-Tyne, but other ports out of the Tyne, as far south as Harwich, and no doubt is distributed straight away ?— Yes, I believe so. 303. It is distributed from those ports as centres, and I presume one reason why you send Irish butter to the South of England is for the same reason, namely, that you have say, in Bristol, a distributing area for the south ?—Y es. 304. That is the reason, practically ?—It is one reason ; but a good deal of the Irish butter comes to London now rather more than to Bristol, I should say. 305. On account of the geographical proximity of both the West of England and of London to the South of England ?—That would affect it, of course. 506. Do you happen to know what is the average amount of water in your Irish exported butter ?—The average, £ should say, would be from 12 to 13 per cent. perhaps. 307. Not more?—Not more, I should say, for the average. 308. (Chairman.) You have a standard, have you not? —No, there is no standard actually established; it varies very much according to the state of the weather, and the state of the cattle, and the feeding they get. I did prepare some time ago, for another Committee, tables showing the variations. I cannot call to mind now ex- actly what it was, but I have known butter that was per- fectiy honestly made beyond any question to contain over 20 per cent.—quite 22 or 23 per cent. ; on the other hand it will run down as low as 10 per cent, at times. 309. (Professor Thorpe.) When you say honestly made, what do you mean ?—Without the intentional addition of moisture. 510. Do you not think that it is a factor determining the preference for Danish butter, that as a rule the Danish butter contains less water than Irish butter ?—It is quite possible it may be. 311. And that there is less loss to the retailer in making it-up in the case of the Danish butter than in the ease of Irish butter?—I should think, on the whole, it possibly does contain less, although I am not able to say from personal knowledge. 312. But you would think if it did contain less that that is one determining reason why a preference is given to it? ——It would naturally be so. 313. (Chairman.) Before we leave this subject of Danish butter I should like to ask another question, as we are very anxious to get at the bottom of the difficulty. You have spoken of Danish butter as being principally with my enquiries in Denmark; but are you aware tha from the North of England it travels very far, and is sold in retail qualities even in dairy countries at a higher price than the local product—even in Ayrshire as]: Wig. ronment which are large dairy countries ?—So I under stand. 514. Ho wdo you account for that?—I presume it must be better than the local produce. 515. Yes, but that is not the difficulty; there is nc doubt it is better. If, as you say, unpreserved butter i: so perishable in your experience that a preservative i: essential, how can you account for Danish butter being sold by retail dealers in the West of Scotland ?—I can only suppose that it is sold within a reasonably short time of being landed. 516. You do not know, or suspect, that the retail dealers add a preservative of their own ?—I do not know. 317. You have no knowledge of that?—No, I do not know of it. 518. (Dr. Bulstrode.) I did not quite gather from what you have said as to the method of applying the preserva- tive, exactly how the preservative you use is applied to the butter ?—In my own factory, which I speak of now, as having most personal knowledge of, when we are blending a lot of butter it is done on the Normandy system. The butter is bought fresh from the farmers, and it is blended so as to produce uniformity. It is passed through rollers on a butter table, and when the moisture has been as fa as possible got out of it it is salted and prepared fcr packing in boxes or firkins, as the case may be, and at the time the salt is added the preservative is also sprinkled over the surface of the butter. 519. With the salt ?—Yes; it is then turned over and over with wooden hands until it is thoroughly mixed, and 520. Is any more preservative put into the packages; is there any more sprinkled over ?—No. 521. Do you stipulate that the people who supply the blending establishment with butter shall not themselves add preservatives /—No, we have no means of enforcing it. 322. As far as you know they may add a preservative before it reaches you ?—I think we would probably detect it if they did. 523. Do you take measures to detect it?—Yes, our in- spectors go round and very careful’y examine all the butter. Of course, it is possible that it may be added, but I do not think it is probable. 524. Do they analyse the butter for boracic acid ?--We have analysed it occasionally ; we do not do it regularly. 625. I mean for all you know the butter which you send out may contain more preservative than that which you put in ?—I¢ is, of course, possible. - 326. (Chairman.) Now, you have told us about pre- servatives, and we are much obliged to you for that. ave you anything to tell us about colouring matters used in the trade ?/—Colouring matter is used to a certain extent but I have not given any particular consideration to that. 527. I suppose the uniformity of colouring from year’s end to yeaz’s end is desirable ?—Yes, as nearly as possible. Of course, summer butter, Irish butter, at any rate, from the month of May outwards, is naturally a rich, yellowish colour, so that it is not necessary to use any colouring matter with it; it is only in the winter that it is really necessary. iy 528. And what is used ?—We use a fluid colourmg, but I do not remember at the moment now what it is called. We have tried a great number of different colouring matters, and had them analysed from time to time, and we have adopted one, the name of which I really do not remember at the moment. Saffron used to be used, but I do not think it is used so much now. * 529. Do you know what are the components of the colouring material that you use now?—Saffron, I pre- sume, would be one of the chief components. 330. Have you no curiosity to know what you are putting into your butter ?—I think we have had it tested, but it is so long since that I really do not remember what the result of the test was. We tested it practically, and also we had it analysed at one time. 331. You actually retain no recollection -of what the material is that you are putting into the butter?—No, I really #tn unable to say, because I have not consideretl that I would be asked about it, and so I have not iooked the matter up.](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b3217228x_0052.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
