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110
Hehner & Cox. The Laboratory,
11, Billiter Square,
London, E.C. 3.
18th January, 1927.
To the Mayor, Aldermen and Councillors
of the Metropolitan Borough of Hampstead.
Mr. Mayor, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I beg to give a short summary of the work carried out by me as
your Public Analyst during the year 1926. In this period I have
analysed 505 samples of food and drugs, of which the principle articles
were:—
Milk 194
Butter 65
Cream 42
Cheese 22
Apples 24
Margarine 17
Of these 22 (that is 4.0 per cent. of the samples) were adulterated
or for various reasons failed to conform to the requirements of the Law,
namely:—
Milk 4
Butter 4
Margarine 3
Cream Cheese 2
Egg Custard 2
Apples 5
Cream 1
Malt Vinegar 1
The standard of quality of the milks supplied in the Borough is
distinctly good. It is richest in December and poorest in the June
quarter, which is in accordance with the natural seasonal variations of
the cows.
The state of affairs in regard to cheese is not altogether satisfactory:
not infrequently soft cheeses, prepared from milk, are sold as cream
cheese. Their only claim to the word "cream" being based on a
creamy consistency. Actually a cream cheese should have not less than
70 per cent. of fat, reckoned on the " dry" basis. Similarly cheese