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 1962
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Fulham Borough]
This page requires JavaScript
49
INSPECTION AND SUPERVISION OF FOOD
There are no offensive trades, slaughterhouses or licensed slaughtermen in the Borough.
EXAMINATION OF FOOD AND SEIZURE OF UNSOUND FOOD
Certain articles of food which are liable to be adulterated are controlled by sampling and
chemical analysis by the Public Analyst, but foods which deteriorate in quality, and become unfit
for human consumption are supervised by inspection and can be seized with subsequent condemnation
by a Justice of the Peace and destruction.
Voluntary Surrender of Food
In practice, shopkeepers rarely attempt knowingly to sell to the public any food-stuff which
is unfit for human consumption and it is customary for retailers who find food they have purchased
from wholesalers to be unsound at the, time they receive it or to have become unfit after storage on
their premises to notify the local authority, and request an inspection by the district public health
inspector who, if satisfied after examination that the food is unfit, issues a certificate to that
effect and arranges for its removal to, and destruction at the Council's Refuse Destructor.
The surrender of food-stuffs from various depots and food premises during the year involved the examination and destruction of the following articles and the issue of 969 certificate:-
| Tinned and packeted goods | 7,618 |
| Fish | 4 stone |
| Meat | 1,449½ lbs. |
| Chicken | 39 lbs. |
| Cheese and cheese spreads | 4½ lbs. |
| Sultanas | 3 lbs. |
| Flour | 3 lbs. |
| Lard | 24 lbs. |
| Assorted frozen foods | 256 packets |
| Potatoes | 1½ tons |
| Confectionery | 5½ lbs. |
| Mussels | 28 lbs. |
SALE OF MILK REGULATIONS, 1939
The above Regulations state that where a sample of milk contains less than 3% of milk fat or less than 8.5% of solids not fat, until the contrary is proved, the sample shall be deemed to be not genuine. The following table sets out the monthly statement of the number of samples taken, together with the percentage of fat and non-fatty solids present:-
| January | 4 | 3.64 | 8.80 |
| February | 3 | 3.47 | 8.73 |
| March | 6 | 3.60 | 8.67 |
| April | 1 | 3.45 | 8.69 |
| May | 2 | 3.38 | 8.74 |
| June | 5 | 3.31 | 8.69 |
| July | 2 | 3.50 | 8.67 |
| August | – | – | – |
| September | 5 | 3.64 | 8.65 |
| October | 5 | 3.70 | 8.72 |
| November | 3 | 3.73 | 8.80 |
| December | 3 | 3.77 | 8.70 |
| 3.56 | 8.71 |