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 1949
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Kensington Borough]
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26
The Foods Standards Committee, appointed by the Minister
of Pood to review the composition of foods and to recommend
standards, have stated that they are of the opinion that a
standard for ice cream is in principle desirable. The average
fat standard of ice cream sampled daring 1949, whilst slightly
"better than that of the previous year, was lower than the
minimum of 8% advocated by the Council.
The following table shows the number of samples taken during the year for chemical analysis compared with 1948 :-
| No. of samples | Variation of fat content. | Non-fat solids content | Average fat content | Average non-fat solids content | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1949 72 | From2.3%to 11.7% | From16.1% to 31.9% | 5.1% | 23.4% | |
| 1948 43 | From 0.3% to 8.2% | From 17.6% to 31.3% | 3.53% | 21.5% | |
The ice cream premises in the borough were frequently
inspected and there was no occasion on which formal action
under the Pood and Drugs Act, 1938, was necessary.
Further representations were made to the Ministry of
Health to fix a bacteriological standard for ice cream, and
it was stated in reply that whilst the Methylene Blue
Reduction test afforded a simple and practical means for the
routine grading, the test had not such precision as would
justify its use as a statutory test, non-compliance with which
would constitute an offence.
By the Methylene Blue Test ice cream can be divided into
four grades. It is suggested that if ice cream consistently
fails to reach grades 1 and 2 it would be reasonable to regard
this as indicating defects of manufacture or handling, calling
for further investigation.
During 1949, 98 samples of ice cream were taken and submitted to the Methylene Blue Test and the results were as follows:-
| Grade | No.of Samples | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 23 | ||
| 2 | 23 | ||
| 3 | 17 | ||
| 4 | 35 |
These results on the whole cannot be regarded as
satisfactory.
Special investigations were made in the cases of two
manufacturers owing to the consistent low grade results obtained
from their products. The results indicated that
the manufacturers had failed to appreciate the paramount need
for meticulous cleaning of the somewhat complicated machinery.
Appropriate action taken produced improved results.