London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Kensington 1933
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Kensington Borough]
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goods are marked, they must conform to the standards laid down in the regulations. Special provisions
are contained in the Agricultural Produce (Grading and Marking) (Eggs) Regulations, which provide
for the marking of eggs which have been preserved by immersion in lime.water, water.glass or oil.
Frequent inspections have been made and no offences were observed in 1933.
Artificial Cream Act, 1929.—This Act has for its object the regulation of the manufacture and
sale of artificial cream.
The council are required to keep a register of all premises where artificial cream is manufactured,
sold, exposed or kept for sale. Two sets of premises appeared in the register at the commencement
of the year, and none was added during the year. In neither place, however, is artificial cream being
made at the present time.
Unsound Food.—Under the provisions of section 47 of the Public Health (London) Act, 1891,
authorised officers of the council are empowered to seize and carry before a magistrate any diseased,
or unsound, or unwholesome food deposited for sale or exposed for sale, and the magistrate before
whom such food is carried may make an Order for its destruction. Proceedings may be taken
against the person in whose possession the food was at the time of seizure. Particulars of offences
occurring in Kensington during the past year together with the results of action taken are as follow :—
Offence. Action taken.
Exposing for sale unsound meat Proceedings. Fined £25.
„ „ „ „ „ £10 and £1 : Is. Od. costs.
„ „ £5 and £20 costs.
„ „ „ „ Summons dismissed on payment
of £5 : 5s. Od. costs.
Under the provisions of subsection 8 of section 47 of the Public Health (London) Act, 1891, any persons having in their possession food intended for sale which is diseased or unsound, or unfit for human consumption, may surrender it to the council for destruction as trade refuse. The unsound food surrendered and destroyed during the year is shown in the following list:—
| Apples (cwts.) | 8 | Meat (stones) | 200 |
| Chocolates and sweets (lbs.) | 21 | Meat, canned (tins) | 137 |
| Cherries (lbs.) | 56 | Milk, canned (tins) | 90 |
| Dates (lbs.) | 12 | Peaches (cwts.) | 3½ |
| Fish, canned (tins) | 98 | Peas, split (lbs.) | 61 |
| Fish, wet (stones) | 7½ | Potatoes (lbs.) | 56 |
| Fruit, canned (tins) | 1,054 | Poultry (head) | 212 |
| Grapefruit (cases) | 10 | Rabbits, skinned (lbs.) | 100 |
| Grapes (lbs.) | 120 | Vegetables, canned (tins) | 304 |
The Food and Drugs (Adulteration) Act, 1928.—The council's food inspector is the sampling
officer under the Act, and he is instructed to take samples in any place within the borough. The
samples procured are of two kinds, namely, formal and informal.
(a) Formal Samples.—These are samples which are taken strictly in conformity with the
requirements of the Food and Drugs (Adulteration) Act, 1928, and during the year the food
inspector collected 676, of which 13 or 1.9 per cent, were adulterated.
(b) Informal Samples.—These are taken without compliance with the strict formalities of the
Food and Drugs (Adulteration) Act, 1928, and serve to show the conditions obtaining without
disclosing to the vendor the fact that the samples are being taken for analysis.