FROZEN PRODUCE LETTER.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 18194, 3 October 1924, Page 10

FROZEN PRODUCE LETTER.

GOOD DEMAND FOR MUTTON AND LAMB. GOVERNMENT AND THE LESLEY PROCESS. (no* or a oTnr coseispoklekt.) LONDON, August 21. | The holiday exodus of Londoners to ! the seaside and the mountains is now .about at high tide, but there are still a few million inhabitants left in town, in addition to the vast numbers or visitors from the provinces and from overseas, attracted by the British Empire Exhibition. The weather very titful, but tends to cool and even cold, so that more meat per head is l>eir:g consumed than is u.sual at this time of year. Lamb. The advent of Scotch lambs on the market has had a noticeable effect on the demand for New Zealand lambs, "trut, as stocks of these are comparatively light, there saems no reason to fear 3 drop in prices, which are very firm at present. One interesting feature during the last fortnight) has been tho short supply oi heavy lambs, «>nd this has rna.de them more valuable than is usual at this time c,i year. Small secondary lambs are well sought after in London, and there is also a good demand for them in the provinces. The top price just now for lamb is Is od per lb lor prime Scotch, r.'hich is about per lb more than the highest value of English. Prime Canterbury makes up to ll;}d, and North Island is not far behind, making rather mor? than Argentine. There is no Australian lamb at present on the market. Mutton. ,'Arrivals of New Zealand mutton during the last fortnight have been very light, and, with stocks on hand short and firmly held, values have again advanced. Ther.« has Ijeen an excellent demand for all descriptions. Ewes have met with a very good enauiry, and are considerably dea.ver on the fortnight. New Zealand wethr.rs between 44 and (jOl'o are worth to 8d per lb; between 67 and 80ih, 63 to 7Jd; ewes between 44 and 601b, oJd to 6£d, and between 67 and 801b, 43d to o|d. The fow Australian sheep on offer have made from 0"; dto 6JJ per lb, according to weight. Beef. _ Somewhat heavy pitc-hings of Argentine chilled albeit of poor average quality have tended to 'lcoress the beof market generally. Chilled hinds are making Trom 5d to Sd per lb, and fores from 2d to 2|d. Quotations for New Zealand and Australian frozen beef are merely nominal. The Linley Process. Whatever hopes may have been built up on tho Linley process, as a means of marketing chilled be=f from New Zealand and Australia in Great Britain, in a sound, wholesome, and appetising condition, are dashed by an interim report just issued by the Departmental Committee) of the Ministry ot Health on the Use of Preservatives and Colouring Matters in Food. 'J"he experimental shipment of beef quarters in charge of Mr Linley on. board the s.s. Kent, which left Wellington for England early this year, is mentioned in the report, and the commits tee says: "The experiment was obviously a failure in so far as an attempt to demonstrate the feasibility of conveying chilled beef from New Zealand was concerned, and it is possible that the alleged defective arrangements for circulating the air in the hold were a contributory cause to the failure. Lack of care in slaughter and subsequent dressing ana handling of the carcases would undoubtedly affect the keeping qualities of the beef. It is also possible that the dosage of formaldehyde which the beef received was insufficient to prevent the deterioration which actually occurred." Formaldehyde in Meat. But the committee does not base its conclusions on the admitted failure of the experimental shipment from New Zealand. It condemns formaldehyde comprehensively as a food preservative in any form or quantity. It points out that the country with the largest export trade.in chilled beef (Argentina) has prohibited the treatment of chilled beaf with formaldehyde. The United States Government has specifically prohibited the importation of meat so treated. Every other country, with scarcely an exception, which has made regulations in connexion with the purity of food, has prohibited either explicitly or implicitly the treatment pf any food material with formaldehyde. Finally, the Linley process is not now in : operation in any part of the world. The report concludes:— "Having regard to all information which has been given to us, we are of opinion that no exception in favour of the Linley process should be made, from our general. condemnation of the use of formaldehyde in any article ot food or drink. We therefore recommend that the treatment of meat with formaldehyde or any of its derivatives should be . f-pecifically prohibited." However opinions may differ as to the justice of this pronouncement it is not probable that the British Government will take any other course* than that proposed by one of its internal committees. Imported Meat Regulations. The new oversea meat regulations of the Ministry of Health contain modifications and additions that will require careful watching at the producers' end. Hie existing regulations as to unsound meat of any description stand good, and in the schedule of prohibited meat are ' placed the following items:—(a) Scrap meat, that is to say, meat which con&t* of scraprjs, (trimmings, or Other pieces (whether with or without bone) of sucn shape or in such condition as to afford insufficient means of identification with definite parts of a carcase, and whioh has not before importation been made ready for human consumption in the form of - a sausage or other prepared or manufactured article of food; .(b) meat oomirieing the ribs or the abdominal wall, but- without any such membrane as in its natural position forms the lining of the cavity enclosed by the ribs or the abdominal wall ; (c) the entire carcase of a pig which is without the head in its natural state of attachment to the carcase, or is without the lymphatic glands in their natural position; (d) tripe (that is to say, any edible part of a stomach), tongue, kidney, or other edible offal to which has been applied either (1) formalin, or a solution of, or comprising formic aldehyde; or (2) a compound containing fluorine or boron; or (3) salicylic acid, formic acid, sulphurous acid, or benzoic acid, or any derivatives of any such acid. In a second schedule is plaoed "conditionally admissable meat," which include* severed parts of a pig not cured as bacon or ham, and the rendered fat of cattla or pigs. These are' not admissable unless accompanied by an official certificate from the country of origin.