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
Kensington 1934
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Kensington Borough]
This page requires JavaScript
47
FOOD SUPPLY.
Milk and Dairies (Consolidation) Act, 1915.—The council have decided that a number of samples
of milk shall be taken each year for the purpose of examination for the presence of tubercle
bacilli. During 1934, 18 samples were so taken, none of which was found to contain the organism
Composition of Milk Samples.—Of 298 formal samples of milk taken under the Food and
Drugs (Adulteration) Act in 1934, only two were certified by the public analyst as adulterated, i.e.,
containing less than three per cent, of fat or 8•5 per cent. of non-fatty solids. These particulars,
however, do not give any indication of the general quality of the milk supplied in Kensington;
therefore, it will be interesting to note the average composition of the samples taken during the
year. These figures are given in the following: table:—
| Months. | Number of formal samples taken. | Average composition of all samples submitted, genuine and adulterated. | Average composition of genuine samples. | Ministry of Agriculture standard. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Percentage of milk fat. | Percentage of solids not fat. | Percentage of milk fat. | Percentage of solids not fat. | Percentage of milk fat. | Percentage of solids not fat. | ||
| January | 18 | 3•73 | 8•88 | 3•73 | 8•88 | 3•0 | 8•5 |
| February | 31 | 3•62 | 8•83 | 3•62 | 8•83 | ||
| March | 38 | 3•46 | 8•76 | 3•50 | 8•76 | ||
| April | 18 | 3•64 | 8•77 | 3•64 | 8•77 | ||
| May | 30 | 3•70 | 8•85 | 3•70 | 8•85 | ||
| June | 24 | 3•66 | 8•93 | 3•66 | 8•93 | ||
| July | 24 | 3•96 | 8•81 | 3•96 | 8•81 | ||
| August | 31 | 3•92 | 8•81 | 3•92 | 8•81 | ||
| September | 18 | 4•34 | 8•88 | 4•34 | 8•88 | ||
| Average composition of normal cow's milk. | |||||||
| October | 24 | 4•05 | 8•98 | 4•05 | 8•98 | ||
| November | 30 | 3•80 | 8•97 | 3•80 | 8•97 | ||
| Percentage of milk fat. | Percentage of solids not fat. | ||||||
| December | 12 | 3•84 | 8•91 | 3•84 | 8•91 | ||
| 298 | 3•78 | 8•86 | 3•79 | 8•86 | 3•7 | 8•9 | |
The table shows that the average fat and non-fatty solid content for each month of the year
is well above the legal standard, and makes it clear that suspicion should fall on every sample which
at any time of the year shows a fat content as low as three per cent.
Milk and Dairies (Amendment) Act, 1922, and Milk and Dairies Order, 1926.—A summary of the alterations made in the register of dairymen and dairies during 1934, and the number of persons and dairies registered at the end of the year is shown in the following table :—
| Purveyors of milk in sealed bottles. | Dairymen. | Dairies and milkshops. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Transfers | - | 24 | 24 |
| Added to register | 27 | 1 | 1 |
| Vacated and removed from register | — | 5 | 3 |
| Dairymen with premises outside the borough added to register | - | 15 | - |
| Dairymen with premises outside the borough removed from the register | - | 16 | - |
| On register 1st January, 1934 | 85 | 179 | 151 |
| On register 31st December, 1934 | 112 | 174 | 149 |
| (+) Increase. (-) Decrease | +27 | -5 | -2 |
The total number of inspections of dairies and milkshops in the borough in 1934 was 511.
Skimmed Milk.
The adulteration of fresh cow's milk with skimmed milk and dried milk has been a. problem
which has caused much concern to health officers since the establishment of the Milk Marketing
Board in 1933. The board have fixed a price for wholesale milk sent to the London market, with
the result that "cut-price" wholesale milk has been eliminated and retail dairymen who previously
made considerable profits by purchasing "cut-price" milk have been forced to adopt other methods
in order to maintain their former income.