London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Kensington 1909

Annual report of the Medical Officer of Health 1909

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36
The samples collected were as follows :—

Samples Collected by the Sanitary Inspectors.

Name of Sample.Number Taken.Number Adulterated.
Milk24413
Skimmed Milk2...
Separated Milk11
Condensed Milk6...
Cream138
Butter1602
Margarine1...
Cheese22...
Pepper24...
Flour6...
Sago121
Scones12...
Arrowroot12...
Corn Flour12...
Oatmeal6...
Olive Oil61
Coffee6...
Preserved Peas66
Gherkins6...
Sausages62
Vinegar161
Mustard10...
Spirits6410
Beer12...
Drugs355
Total70050

Margarine and Butter Substitutes.— Under Section 9 of the Margarine Act, 1887, and
Section 7 (4) of the Sale of Food and Drugs Act, 1899, manufacturers and wholesale dealers in
margarine and margarine cheese are required to register their premises with the local authority.
By Section 1 (1) of the Butter and Margarine Act, 1907, these requirements were extended to butter
factories and to the premises of wholesale dealers in milk-blended butter. The following premises
in the Borough are registered in accordance with the requirements of the above Acts:—
Lipton, Ltd. 210, Portobello Road.
„ 129, Brompton Road.
E. C. Nicholls 19, Church Street.
C. E. Webb & Sons 39-41, Brompton Road.
Pearks, Ltd. 165, Portobello Road.
The above premises have been registered as those of wholesale dealers in margarine. The
premises of Pearks, Ltd., have also been registered as those of wholesale dealers in mixtures of
butter and milk.
In a considerable number or shops in Kensington the Sanitary Inspectors have found margarine
without any label kept side by side with butter on a marble slab which is concealed from the
view of the purchaser by a screen. Under similar circumstances it has been held by the Divisional
Court that a label was unnecessary, but even if a label were provided it would afford no protection
to the purchaser who cannot see whether the article with which he is served is taken from the
parcel of butter or of margarine behind the screen. The fact that these screened slabs are
commonly used by dairymen who sell no margarine shows that they are designed for convenience
and no other purpose, but if the existing legislation is necessary which requires margarine exposed
for sale to be labelled, then it is obviously still more necessary to obtain legislation for preventing
the vendor from serving butter and margarine from a place on the counter which is concealed from
the view of the purchaser.