Newly available in paperback, this book provides the first comprehensive evaluation of Britain's food laws from the 1860s to the 1930s and the first analysis of the Victorian anti-adulteration legislation for over 25 years. The book brings important historical perspectives to the pressing contemporary debate about food safety and the most appropriate forms of regulation by indicating that government policy has historically been shaped by competing business and consumer-protectionist pressures.

The book will interest teachers, students and general readers concerned with British history and economic and social history, and appeal to specialists in the fields of business history, regulation and food, medicine and nutrition.