BORIC ACID IN BACON

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 894, 11 February 1930, Page 13

BORIC ACID IN BACON

GOVERNMENT DECISION EXPECTED AN ALLEGATION DENIED Special to TMB sr.v WELLINGTON, Today. Allegations that the Government Is permitting a breach of the regulations under the Food and Drugs Act, made by a weekly paper, aro denied. The statement is that the Government is failing to enforce regulations which were framed to prevent curing bacon with boric acid. It Is true that these regulations were framed in 1928, but after being considered by the then Government, It was decided that they should be suspended in the meantime. The attitude of the Department of Health, from which the regulations emanated, was that while there might not be much harm to the individual through eating bacon cured with boracic acid, the cumulative effect of such preservatives on the system was calculated to be bad. The regulations were drawn up less to check an admitted-evil'than to follow- out a general principle which had been stated by the department, and which governed ail its actions in relation to matters of this nature. However, somewhat to the displeasure of the Hon. J. A. Young, then Minister of Health, the Coates Government decided to suspend the regulations pending further action by the bacon-curers. Mr. Young expressed dissatisfaction with the propriety of this course, pointing out that it was not satisfactory, nor possibly legal, for regulations to be in existence and then suspended. The bacon-curers, in arrangement with the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, then arranged to donate a sum sufficient to send to England Mr. E. W. Wright, research chemist of the department, for him to make special investigation into methods of curing, large local curers contending they could not satisfactorily use the brine cure, Mr. Wright has reported more than once, but the results of his investigations, being intended for the trade, have not been made public. Apparently he has failed to discover any alternative, as no change in methods of curing has been adopted. Now, therefore, the position is as it was two years ago. The Department of Health still considers that curing with boric acid is undesirable, and the Government is expected to make a decision as to whether or not the regulations are to be enforced. If they are, it Is expected that failure to comply will lead to early prosecution.