London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
View report page
Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
St Pancras 1926
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for St. Pancras, Metropolitan Borough]
This page requires JavaScript
(n)—SALE OF FOOD AND DRUGS ACTS. 820 samples have been taken under these Acts. 791 of these proved to be genuine and 29, or 3'5 per cent., adulterated. The details are given in the following table:—
| Articles of food of which samples have been taken. | Total number of samples. | Genuine. | Adulterated. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apples | 25 | 24 | 1 |
| Apple stalks | 1 | 1 | — |
| Brawn | 1 | 1 | — |
| Butter | 128 | 127 | 1 |
| Cheese | 21 | 21 | — |
| Cocoa | 33 | 33 | — |
| Coffee | 33 | 33 | — |
| Cream | 11 | 9 | 2 |
| Do. (Preserved) | 14 | 14 | — |
| Custard Powder | 6 | 6 | — |
| Dripping | 5 | 5 | — |
| Fish Paste | 1 | 1 | — |
| Flour (Self-Raising) | 29 | 29 | — |
| Jam | 32 | 31 | 1 |
| Lard | 25 | 25 | — |
| Lemon Crystals | 1 | 1 | — |
| Margarine | 20 | 20 | — |
| Meat Paste | 1 | 1 | — |
| Milk | 384 | 361 | 23 |
| Mustard | 9 | 8 | 1 |
| Oatmeal | 1 | 1 | — |
| Pepper | 11 | 11 | — |
| Rice | 12 | 12 | — |
| Sausages | 1 | 1 | — |
| Vinegar | 10 | 10 | — |
| Vinegar (Malt) | 5 | 5 | — |
| Totals | 820 | 791 | 29 |
Note.—The 820 include four informal samples of milk, one of apple stalks, one of cheese and one of meat
paste.
Prosecutions were undertaken as regards 21 of the above 29 samples, which were
reported as being adulterated. The results of the proceedings are stated in the following
table;—