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77
FOOD AND DRUGS—ADULTERATION, ETC.
During the year, 1,000 samples of food and drugs purchased by Inspector Gammack, in his
capacity as Sampling Officer, were submitted to the Public Analyst for chemical analysis.
The samples, which were taken under the Food and Drugs (Adulteration) Act, 1928, and other
Acts, Regulations and Orders relating to foodstuffs, are divided into two classes, namely:—
(a) Formal samples or those in the purchase of which the legal procedure laid down in
the Act relating to declaration, division into three parts, sealing, etc., of the sample is carried
out. These samples are usually purchased by an agent, acting on the instructions of the
Sampling Officer, who enters the vendor's premises when the agent has completed the purchase
and carries out the provisions of the Act in the presence of the vendor.
Legal proceedings can only be instituted in cases of adulterated formal samples.
(b) Informal Samples. These are samples purchased by an agent of the Sampling Officer
and serve to show the conditions obtaining, without disclosing to the vendor the purpose for
which the article has been obtained, as no legal formalities are carried out. As legal proceedings
are not possible when informal samples prove to be adulterated, a formal sample is purchased
from the same source immediately following the receipt of an adverse report from the Public
Analyst.
In Fulham, the reports of the Public Analyst on all adulterated informal samples are communicated
to the vendors, even should a formal sample prove genuine and further samples are obtained
from the same vendor to ensure that the adulteration is not continued.
Nineteen, or 1.9 per cent., of the thousand samples examined were adversely reported upon,
and full details of the adulterated samples will be found in Table 18 (Milk) and Table 24 (Other Articles).
The following table gives details of the number and percentage of adulterated samples of all
articles of food and drugs during the years 1929 to 1938 inclusive:—

PUBLIC HEALTH (CONDENSED MILK) REGULATIONS, 1923 & 1927 AND
PUBLIC HEALTH (DRIED MILK) REGULATIONS, 1923 & 1927
Nine samples of condensed milk were purchased during 1938, and in all cases the milk, labelling
of tins, etc., were in accordance with the Regulations.
PUBLIC HEALTH (PRESERVATIVES, ETC., IN FOOD) REGULATIONS, 1925—1927
During the year under review samples were examined for the presence of preservative and no
contraventions reported.