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
Penge 1952
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Penge]
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20
INSPECTION AND SUPERVISION OF FOOD
The supervision of premises and stalls where foods are prepared, stored
or exposed for sale has been regularly carried out, 1,496 visits being made in
this connection.
In a few cases warnings were given relating to contraventions of the byelaws
made under Section 15, Food & Drugs Act, 1938, but in no case was it found
necessary to take statutory action.
Various improvements have been made in food shops particularly in
regard to the hygienic storage and display of meat products, and the provision
of a constant supply of hot water.
Your sanitary inspectors continued to give advice to occupiers of food
premises on matters relating to food and general hygiene.
Communications were sent to the occupiers of 14 food premises regarding
defects found, and in each case the work was carried out after informal action.
The attention of the department was drawn on a few occasions to the
presence of a foreign body in, or contamination of, food purchased in the
district. The shopkeepers concerned were interviewed and the circumstances
fully investigated. In each case a warning was given.
The amount of food surrendered and condemned as unfit for human
consumption after examination by your inspectors was 4 tons, 6 cwts., 2 qrs.,
2 lbs.
The foods condemned were as follows:—
| Bacon | 3,296 lbs. | Peas | 15¾ lbs. |
| Beef | 2,390 „ | Pork | 224½ „ |
| Biscuits | 5 „ | Rabbits | 150 „ |
| Butter | 224 „ | Sausage casings | 6 „ |
| Cheese | 103¾ „ | Sugar confectionery | 107 „ |
| Chickens | 109 „ | Whalemeat | 60 „ |
| Dried fruits | 489 „ | Bottled fruit | 1 bot. |
| Fish | 766 „ | Coffee | 51 bots. |
| Flour | 306 „ | Eggs | 1,474 |
| Ham | 6 „ | Pickles | 53 bots. |
| Honey | ½ „ | Tinned fish | 10 tins |
| Jam | 5½„ | Tinned fruit | 233 „ |
| Lard | 212 „ | Tinned meat | 209 „ |
| Liver | 80 „ | Tinned milk | 17 „ |
| Margarine | 180 „ | Tinned sausages | 3 „ |
| Mutton | 457 „ | Tinned soup | 82 „ |
| Ox Hearts | 137 „ | Tinned tomato juice | 9 „ |
| Tinned vegetables | 152 „ |
Condemnation certificates totalled 252.
The co-operation of the food traders in bringing to the notice of the
department the existence of suspected unsound food has been maintained.