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
Greenwich 1928
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Greenwich Borough]
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Other Foods.—Places where food is prepared have been visited on 205 occasions, improvements being required in 20 instances as detailed below:—
| Class of Premises | Number of Lists | Number of Inspections | Number of Instances where matters needed attention | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| At end of 1927 | Added 1928 | Removed 1928 | At end of 1928 | |||
| Hotel Kitchens | 6 | — | 1 | 5 | 5 | — |
| Eating Houses | 53 | 5 | 2 | 56 | 75 | 9 |
| Fried Fish Shops | 31 | — | 1 | 30 | 30 | 6 |
| Pork Butchers and Sausage Manufacturers | 29 | - | 1 | 28 | 62 | 4 |
| Mineral Water Manufacturers | 1 | — | _ | 1 | 1 | _ |
| Others | 24 | — | 1 | 23 | 32 | 1 |
| Totals | 144 | 5 | 6 | 143 | 205 | 20 |
The 20 instances where matters needed attention included
12 cases where the premises generally, or kitchen and scullery
particularly, needed cleansing and lime-washing, 4 where the
sanitary arrangements were defective, and 4 where shop fittings
such as chopping blocks and gutting benches were either dirty
or defective.
In addition to the periodical visits and inspections of food
shops, etc., supervision is also exercised on Saturday evenings
and Bank Holidays.
There is still need for marked improvement amongst the
smaller and poorer type of shops in the way of handling and
serving foodstuffs to the general public. This applies particularly
to foods of the cooked variety; generally no attempt is made
to wrap the article in greaseproof paper or even plain paper,
and when, as is often the case, old newspapers are utilised, the
possibility of the food being contaminated is very evident, and
1 am strongly of opinion that legislation is needed to put a stop
to this malpractice.