asked the Minister for Health if he will state if jam manufacturers are required to incorporate in their jams a specified percentage of the fruit named on the label on the container.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Manufactured Jam Content.
asked the Minister for Health if he will state if a definite standard is prescribed for the manufacture of jams; and, if so, if he will give the standards in all cases and if no standard is at present prescribed if he will consider in the interest ofthe public establishing a set of standards; and also requiring jam manufacturers to set out clearly on the label of each parcel or container the standard of the product contained therein.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 18 and 19 together.
No statutory standard has been prescribed for the composition of jams and manufacturers are not required by law to incorporate in their jams a specified percentage of the fruit named on the label.
The sale of jam to the public is governed by the provisions of the Sale of Food and Drugs Acts 1875 and 1936. Section 3 of the Act of 1875 prohibits the addition of ingredients to food which would render it injurious to health and Section 6 provides that no person shall sell to the prejudice of the purchaser any article of food which is not of the nature, substance and quality demanded by him.
Local authorities are empowered under the Acts to take samples of food for testing and to initiate proceedings where they have reason to believe that an offence against the provisions of the Acts has occurred. In view of these provisions, it is not at present proposed that a standard should be prescribed.
In most of the neighbouring countries, standards are prescribed. Would the Minister not reconsider that decision and prescribe a set of standards whereby persons manufacturing jams and similar foodstuffs must specify on the label the percentage of the particular fruit named on the label which is in the container so that the purchaser can know what he is buying? Under the present system, while I have no doubt it does not prevail to any extravagant extent, is it not a fact that jam containing only 1 per cent. of strawberries, the rest being some other fruit, can still be sold as strawberry jam? What is wrong in prescribing a set of standards and, at least, compelling the manufacturers to state what percentage of the particular fruit named is in the container?
Under our food and drugs regulations there are certain things we want to deal with and I think it is more than likely that we shall reach jam in the course of a few weeks or months. I intend then to see if it is possible to prescribe a standard.