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

Bromley 1971

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Bromley]

This page requires JavaScript

Table: Continued from previous page...

Continued from previous page...

Nature of Unsatisfactory SampleRemarks
(k)Serial No. 4939 Bread Composition: Embedded in a slice of the bread was a portion of a plastic sheet measuring 1 in. by 0.3 in. overall. It had the character of nylon and had dough and iron particles adherent.Investigated. Warning letter to baker.
(k)Serial No. 5017 Bread Composition: It was confirmed that eight pellets of rodent droppings were present. Examination of a hole in the loaf showed it to be due to rodent attack, one rodent hair being isolated from the top inside edge of the hole.Matter investigated. Case legally unsuited to prosecution. Warning letter to vendor.
(r)Serial No. 4921 Cornflakes Composition: A metallic fragment associated with the sample weighed 0.2 g. and measured 0.5 in. by 0.3 in. overall. It consisted of stainless steel and fragments of cornflakes were firmly adherent to its surface.Investigated. Warning letter to manufacturer.
(r)Serial No. 5025 Rice Composition: The object, which resembled a rodent dropping, was a discoloured rice grain.Drawn to attention of packers.
(u)Serial No. 4904 Beer Composition: Half of the circumference of the inner rim of the neck of the bottle was found to be slightly chipped and in the beer were twelve small fragments of glass. The largest was 2 mm. by 0.5 mm. and they were found to have similar characteristics to the glass of the bottle.Matter investigated. Warning letter to brewer/ vendor.
(ee)Serial No. 4982 Pure Coffee Composition: The coffee had been satisfactorily decaffeinated but it should be described as "decaffeinated coffee extract".Correspondence in progress.
(n)Serial No. 4889 Chocolate Sauce Composition: The composition was glucose syrup 41 per cent, invert sugar 19 per cent, cocoa 8 per cent. Sugar should have preceded cocoa in the list of ingredients.Correspondence with manufacturers. Label revised — satisfactory.