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 1938
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Kensington Borough]
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| Article analysed. | Nature and amount of adulteration. | Action taken. |
|---|---|---|
| Chocolate cake | Contained no cocoa | Informal sample. |
| „ „ | „ „ | „ „ |
| Chocolate cream sandwich | Chocolate covering contained only 1 per cent. of fat-free dry cocoa. | „ „ |
| Chocolate Swiss roll | Contained only 2 per cent. of fat-free dry cocoa. | „ „ |
| Curry powder | Contained 50 parts of lead per million. | „ „ |
| Jam, apricot | Contained 33 per cent. of apricots in place of 40 per cent. required. | „ „ |
| „ „ | Contained 35 per cent. of apricots | „ „ |
| „ blackcurrant | Contained only 3 per cent. of the named fruit. | „ „ |
| „ „ | „ „ „ | Proceedings instituted but withdrawn. |
| „ raspberry | „ „ „ | Informal sample. |
| „ „ | „ „ „ | Proceedings instituted but withdrawn. |
| „ strawberry | „ „ „ | Informal sample. |
| „ „ | „ „ „ | Proceedings instituted but withdrawn. |
| Milk | 27·3 per cent, deficient in fat | Vendor cautioned. |
| „ | 24 per cent. „ „ | Proceedings. Summons dis-missed. |
| „ | 21·3 per cent. „ „ | Proceedings. Summons dis-missed on payment of 10/6 costs. |
| „ | 20 per cent. „ „ | Proceedings. Summons dis-missed. |
| „ | 12·3 per cent. „ „ | Proceedings. Summons dis-missed on payment of 10/6 costs. |
| „ | 11 per cent. „ „ | Vendor cautioned. |
| „ | 1 per cent. „ „ | „ „ |
| Nerve tonic | Consisted of cane sugar with a small proportion of cocoa, barley flour and milk powder. | Informal sample. |
| Sausages | 250 parts of sulphur dioxide per million. | „ „ |
| „ | 150 „ „ | „ „ |
| Sugar, demerara | 71 parts of tin per million | „ „ |
| „ „ | „ „ „ | Vendor cautioned. |
| „ „ | 0·5 grain of tin per lb. | Informal sample. |
| „ „ | „ „ | „ „ |
| „ pudding | 257 parts of tin per million | Proceedings. Summons with-drawn. |
| Vinegar | 19 per cent. deficient in acetic acid. | Proceedings. Summons dis-missed on payment £1 costs. |
The number of prosecutions under the Food and Drugs Act was nine. The fines and costs
amounted to £2 1s. 0d.
Food and Drugs Act, 1938.—The above act received the Royal Assent on the 29th July,
1938, but it will not come into operation until the 1st October, 1939.
It is the second of the great new acts consolidating the law relating to public health. Although
a consolidating measure, the opportunity has been taken to include important drafting alterations,
some simplification of procedure, and some alterations deemed necessary in the light of modern
practice.
It is worthy of mention that the new act tightens up the law dealing with three matters in
which the council have seen particularly interested in recent years. The first of these deals with
the inadequacy of the existing law to deal with certain adulterations of milk in which skimmed milk
is used. By section 24 of the act all possible forms of reconstitution or sophistication of milk will
be prohibited.
The second matter arose in 1936, when I drew attention to the desirability of extending the
time for taking proceedings where a warranty defence is pleaded. At the present moment the
time limit is six months, but under section 80 of the act this time limit is extended to twelve months.
In my last two annual reports I have commented adversely on the use of misleading and
deceptive labels for food. It is gratifying to observe that under sections 5 and 6 of the Act, the