New Attitude To Food

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31677, 13 May 1968, Page 2

New Attitude To Food

because of the high Or standard of living of modern society, food is no longer looked upon just as something to eat in order to stay alive. It has to look attractive and offer a wide variety of flavours to tempt the palate, and as living standards improve in different parts of the world so the demand for flavouring and colouring materials grows. This Is a need which is met largely from Britain where a company formed by the merging of three famous old-estab-lished firms, Is the world’s largest supplier of essences and flavours.

Spices have a long and romantic history, but variations in the quality annd purity of traditional ground spices have, In the past, created problems for the food manufacturer. These have now been overcome by recent developments which enable such spices as cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, and mace to be prepared as standardised extracts which will not deteriorate in any way when used in food manufacture.

Large quantities of herbs are also used in manufactured flavourings, but herbs in their natural state are becoming increasingly appreciated as a means of Introducing subtle new flavours to home cooking. Herbs such as thyme, rosemary and sage have grown in the fresh, green English countryside for centuries and these and many other herbs are cultivated for sale.

Mrs C. F. Leyel was responsible for founding the Society of Herbalists, which disseminates herbal knowledge and arts as a central organisation for all those whose work or interest is connected with herbs. Herb Farm Another British firm has an extensive herb farm and supply dried and rubbed herbs in air-tight canisters ready for use. It also packages seeds of 19 different herbs for home growing by housewives who prefer to pick fresh herbs from their own gardens and, in a small guide to planting and using herbs, it gives encouragement to city dwellers to grow their own herbs from seed in window-boxes. A great deal of attention has been paid by the British Food Research Association to colour in foodstuffs, and it has been established that there is a definite relationship between colour and impressions of taste and flavour. This was revealed In tests the association carried out with strawberry - flavoured sweets coloured orange, and orange ■ flavoured food coloured green. These foodstuffs were

offered to people who were asked to Identify the flavours but, because these foods were in colours not associated with their flavours, most of them found It quite impossible to give an accurate answer.

Colour Loss It has also been accepted that there is a close association between colour and appetite, but many foodstuffs lose their natural colour .in the course of cooking or processing and present a drab and unattractive appearance, which is far from appetising. This can be remedied only by adding colour, but it is essential that such an additive should be of a high standard and the British Government’s Food Standards Committee takes an active part in seeing that the colouring agents used meet the country’s food regulations. The testing of new colours and flavours is a lengthy and costly business, and it can take up to five years and £50,000 to test one product, but, in 1960, the British Industrial Biological Research Association was set up jointly by the Government and industry and, as well as doing a great deal of research work, it is devising new and quicker methods of testing.

Long History The housewife has used colourings end flavourings from time immemorial, experimenting with roots, stems, barks, flowers, and fruits to enhance her cooking, although not all of these were safe to use. One British firm has been supplying high quality flavourings and essences for domestic use since 1745. Its first distillery in the City of London was so successful that in a few years it became one of the city's leading businesses. Unfortunately, it was one of the main targets of the Gordon Riots in 1780 and the vast buildings and contents of the distillery were burnt to the ground. This dramatie episode in London's history so impressed Charles Dickens that he wrote an account of the destruction of the distillery in “Barnaby Budge.”—Overseas Press Service.