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36
Foreign Matter in Food.
There were ten instances of foreign matter in food dealt with
during the year, and in nine of them cautionary letters were sent to the
persons concerned. In one case a summons was issued and a fine of
£10 obtained with £3 3s. 0d. costs to the Council. This was in connection
with a cigarette in a loaf of bread.
A complaint of mould in a milk bottle was referred to the Medical
Officer of Health of the Borough in which the milk was bottled.
Unsound Food.
The following table gives particulars of the unsound foodstuffs
which, under the provisions of the Public Health (London) Act, 1936.
Section 180 (8), were voluntarily surrendered to the Council. Most
of these foodstuffs were ultimately used for the manufacture of animal
feeding stuffs.
Cakes and biscuits 1 qtr., 1 st., 15 packets.
Cheese 1 cwt., 26 boxes.
Cream 8 tins.
Fats 3 lbs.
Fish (wet) 10 cwts., 2 qtrs., 2 boxes fish roes.
Fish (preserved) 8 cwts., 2 qtrs., 295 tins, 6 jars.
Flour and cereals 1 lb., 16 tins.
Fruit juices 4 tins.
Fruit (fresh) 299 boxes of pears.
Fruit (preserved) 13 cwts., 1st., 6 lbs. 1107 tins.
Jams, syrups and preserves 1½ lbs., 62 tins.
Meat, meat products (preserved) 8 cwts., 3 qtrs., 1 lb., 808 tins.
Meat (fresh) 18 cwts., 2 qtrs., 1 St., 5¾ lbs.
Milk (tinned) 63 tins.
Offal 1 cwt., 1 qtr., 11 lbs.
Paste (meat and fish) 1 tin.
Pickles and sauces 9 jars, 2 barrels.
Poultry 102 chickens, 4 jars, 92 turkeys.
Pudding and cake mixture 2 tins, 4 puddings.
Soups 30 tins.
Sweets and chocolate 24 doz. packets, 23 bars, 288 marshmallows.
Vegetables (fresh) 19 cwts., 1 st., 10 lbs., 72 boats of tomatoesVegetables
(preserved) 1,221 tins.
FOOD POISONING.
On the 28th August, an outbreak of food poisoning was reported
from a Works Canteen.
The onset of the illness occurred within 3 to 4 hours of ingestion
of the meal, and 16 out of a possible 160 persons were affected. The
main symptoms were vomitting, diarrhoea and stomach pains. The
duration of the illness varied between 1 to 3 days. Laboratory investigation
of those affected and of the food handlers in the Canteen prove
negative, but Staphylococci aureus was isolated from some of the remaining
food. Every endeavour to trace the source of infection was made,
but without success. All those affected made a complete recovery.