London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Lewisham 1964
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Lewisham Borough]
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42
FOOD GENERALLY
Adulteration of food
The number of samples taken during the year under the Food and
Drugs Act was 520; of these, 11 were formal and 509 informal. After
examination the public analyst reported that 1 of the formal samples
and 13 of the informal samples were adulterated or below standard;
the percentage of adulteration amounted to 9.1 in the formal samples,
2.6 in the informal samples, and to 2.7 of all the samples submitted,
compared with 6.2 in the previous year.
Samples analysed Table 35
| Articles | Examined | Adulterated | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Formal | Informal | Total | Formal | Informal | Total | |
| Beverages | 18 | 18 | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Bread, biscuits, cake flour | 1 | 16 | 17 | — | — | — |
| Colouring matter | — | 3 | 3 | — | — | — |
| Drugs | — | 8 | 8 | — | — | — |
| Fats, cheese | — | 35 | 35 | — | 1 | 1 |
| Fish | 1 | 15 | 16 | _ | _ | — |
| Flavourings and condiments | — | 98 | 98 | — | 3 | 3 |
| Fruit, nuts | — | 56 | 56 | — | 1 | 1 |
| Icecream | — | 16 | 16 | — | — | — |
| Jams, pastes, etc. | — | 10 | 10 | — | — | — |
| Meats and preserved meats | 5 | 60 | 65 | 1 | 6 | 7 |
| Milk and cream | — | 66 | 66 | — | — | — |
| Sausages | 2 | 40 | 42 | — | — | — |
| Sweet confectionery | 1 | 19 | 20 | — | 1 | 1 |
| Vegetables and cereals | 1 | 25 | 26 | — | — | — |
| Miscellaneous | — | 24 | 24 | — | — | — |
| TOTALS | 11 | 509 | 520 | 1 | 13 | 14 |
Non-genuine samples
Table 36
| Article | Formal or informal | Adulteration or irregularity | Action taken or result of proceedings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken pie | Informal | Incorrect labelling | Manufacturer notified |
| Chopped ham and pork | Formal | Deficient in meat content | .. .. |
| Chopped pork | Informal | .. | .. .. |
| Chopped ham and pork | Informal | .. | .. .. |
| Egg pasta | Informal | Incorrect statement of ingredients | Labels amended |
| Rum butter | Informal | Deficient in rum | Further sample taken and found genuine |