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
Fulham 1954
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Fulham Borough]
This page requires JavaScript
(77)
REPORT OF THE COUNCIL'S PUBLIC ANALYST
Thomas McLachlan. A.C.G.F.C., F.R.I.C.
During the year 1954, 800 samples of foods and drugs were examined.
Of these 788 were taken formally and 12 informally.
The number adulterated was 35, or 4.4 per cent. The incidence
of adulteration may be classified as follows:-
The incidence of adulteration may be classified as follows:-
| Article. | No. of Samples examined. | No. of samples adulterated. |
|---|---|---|
| Milk | 172 | 1 |
| Other foods | 625 | 34 |
| Drugs | 3 | - |
A sample of milk contained only 8.41 per cent of milk solids
not fat and therefore contained at least 1.5 per cent of added water.
Some Cream Cheese contained only 43.3 per cent of fat calculated
on the dry matter, and should not therefore be sold as a Cream cheese.
Although there are no standards in this country Canadian and United
States law stipulates that cream cheese must contain not more than
55 per cent of moisture and not less than 65 per cent of milk fat
calculated on the dry basis. A sample of Soft cheese contained 70.9
per cent of water and 44.7 per cent of fat calculated on the dry
matter. A Soft cheese must contain not more than 60 per cent of
water nor less than 20 per cent of milk fat, and in your analyst's
opinion this sample was a Curd cheese which is a wetter product.
Two samples of Dripping contained excessive free fatty acids
calculated as Oleic acid. One sample contained 4.0 per cent and the
other 2.0 per cent. Dripping must not contain more than 1.5 per cent
of free fatty acids calculated as Oleic acid. Another sample of
dripping gave a positive reaction for rancidity by the Kreis reaction.
A sample of lard was reported as inferior as it appeared to be
genuine pork fat with a definite mutton or beef flavour.
Two other samples examined contained large quantities of triglycerides
insoluble in ether and the melting point of these insoluble
glycerides was abnormal. The determination of the iso-oleic acid
when carried out by the method given in a standard teSt book indicated
that the samples contained hydrogenated lard and net ordinary lard.
A full investigation showed however, that the abnormality was not due
to the presence of hydrogenated lard, but to the abnormality of the
pig fat.