Ulcerative Colitis
The subcommittee has the best possible reasons for making these apparently invidious distinctions, but the logic of insisting upon much lower limits for many foods cunsumed in infinitely smaller amounts is impossible to follow.
Abstract
and cocoa powder (which is widely used in drinks for children) is permitted 70 p.p.m., whereas flavourings, tomato ketchup, yeast and yeast extract, which are consumed in minute amounts compared with tea and cocoa, are restricted to 30 p.p.m., 50 p.p.m., and 30 p.p.m. respectively. Furthermore, tomato ketchup is only permitted 50 p.p.m., but tomato puree is permitted 100 p.p.m. Why this discrepancy ? In the case of both these tomato products the permissible copper is calculated on a basis of solids. Are yeast and yeast extract calculated on this basis too, or on a net weight basis ? The high value permitted for tea is said to be due to the fact that copper fungicides are used for spraying tea plants in Ceylon. Such a copper content is either safe or it is unsafe. If the latter, then it is both unwise and dangerous to a,ccept such a high copper content; if it is not, then the logic of insisting upon much lower limits for many foods cunsumed in infinitely smaller amounts is impossible to follow. One other point is that a higher copper content than 20 parts per million in shellfish and crustacea is acceptable if it is of natural occurrence. Why is tea allowed 150 parts when most of the copper is not natural ? It may be that the subcommittee has the best possible reasons for making these apparently invidious distinctions, but I must confess to being very curious as to what they could be.-I am, etc., London, E.1. G. H. BOURNE.