London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Kensington 1963

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Kensington Borough]

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- 66 -
Surrender
Any person having in his possession food which is diseased,
unsound, or unfit for human consumption can, under Section 180(8) of
the Public Health (London) Act, 1936, surrender it to the Council
for destruction or other suitable method of disposal.

During the year the following amounts of food were surrendered and condemned as unfit for human consumption:-

FoodTonsCwtsQtrslbs
Meat (raw)94
Ham and Pork211211
Other meat3321
Sauerkraut1022
Cucumbers and Gherkins in Brine310211
Fish (wet and dry)5-7
Sausage22-23
Butter and Cheese2321
TOTAL:915326
Tins, jars, packets or cartons of fruit, vegetables and miscellaneous foodstuffs15,748

All food condemned as unfit for human consumption is
collected by the Council, taken to their refuse destructor in Wood
Lane and destroyed. In no instance were large quantities of food
involved, necessitating special examination of stocks of food.
Food and Drugs Act, 1955 - Additives to Meat
A complaint was received from a resident that, upon
consumption of minced beef obtained from a local butcher, he and
his two children were affected by symptoms of flushing, tingling
and burning of the face, ears and hands with a feeling of faintness
which ceased after about 50 minutes. His wife did not partake
of the mince beef and was not affected.
Investigations revealed that it was the practice by the
butcher to dust the mince with a proprietary powder (Evered) in
order to preserve the fresh red colour of the meat. The powder was
analysed and found to be composed of nicotinic acid and ascorbic
acid diluted with dextrose. A test for added colouring matter gave
negative results.
Nicotinic acid and ascorbic acid are not preservatives
within the meaning of the Preservatives in Food Regulations, 1962,
and, therefore, the use of the powder did not conflict with the
provisions of these Regulations; neither did its use infringe the
provisions of the Anti-oxident in Food Regulations, 1958, or the
Colouring Matter in Food Regulations, 1957. Moreover, as the meat
was not sold prepacked, it was not necessary to declare the presence
of the powder as an ingredient.
Although nicotinic acid in small amounts is regarded as
essential for human nutrition, in larger quantities it acts as a
vasodilator. Used as a dusting powder, it might be unevenly distributed
on the meat and heavily dusted portions could well give
rise to vasodilatory action.