During the latter half of the nineteenth century the public outcry about the adulteration of food in Britain led to the passing in 1875 of the first effective Sale of Food and Drugs Act. This Act, which is the basis of our present law, contained for the first time the requirement that all food sold must be of the nature, substance or quality demanded by the purchaser. It also required local authorities to appoint public analysts to check for purity samples of food, drink and drugs procured by local authority inspectors. To celebrate the centenary of the Act a symposium was held in London this week.
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Pyke, M. All the food that's fit to eat. Nature 257, 632–633 (1975). https://doi.org/10.1038/257632a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/257632a0