The British Food Journal Volume 57 Issue 9 1955

Abstract

The Department of National Health and Welfare, Canada, has recently issued a most useful guide to manufacturers, advertisers and importers of food, drugs and cosmetics. The guide has been produced by the Inspection Services of the Food and Drug Directorate. This Department is in the habit of giving advice and opinions to manufacturers who submit labels or advertisements for its consideration, and sometimes suggests modifications thought likely to be satisfactory. The Department has no power to give actual approval or to usurp the function of Courts of Law. In general, there is a great similarity between the requirements of the Dominion and those of Great Britain in the matter of labels and advertisements. But Canada—very wisely, as we think—has not followed the bad example set in the mother country by the Ministry of Food a few years ago when—in defiance of the opinions of nearly all competent persons—the Ministry suddenly decided to emasculate its Food Standards and Labelling Division. The present position is that the admirably informative and helpful yellow book, published in 1949, is now out of date and that manufacturers for years have been unable to obtain the guidance and assistance which used to be available from the Ministry. There have been recent signs that the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food may be willing before long to issue some guidance to the British public which will protect them against imposture. As is shown by the sea‐salmon prosecution reported at page 84, there is still plenty of scope for such protection. We have no doubt that as soon as the consolidated Food and Drugs Acts—that for Scotland as well as that for the remainder of the United Kingdom—and the Regulations to be made under them have become effective, a comprehensive guide, based on the yellow book of 1949, ought to be issued by the Ministry in the interests of traders and consumers. We are less sure that it will be.

Citation

(1955), "The British Food Journal Volume 57 Issue 9 1955", British Food Journal, Vol. 57 No. 9, pp. 81-90. https://doi.org/10.1108/eb011523