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65
Sale of Ice-Cream.—The Ice Cream (Heat Treatment
etc.) Regulations 1947.—These regulations came into operation
on the 1st May, 1947, and it was felt by those responsible for the
supervision of manufacture and handling of ice-cream that here at
last was a positive measure by means of which a reasonably safe
product might be ensured. It is a fact that the shortage of ingredients
used for the manufacture of ice-cream has been such as to render
impracticable the setting up of a nutritional standard, but this
product is much cleaner than it has been hitherto.
Briefly, the regulations were introduced to secure the elimination of pathogenic organisms by a process of heat treatment similar
to that used in the pasteurisation of milk. There can be no doubt
that to a great degree this has been accomplished. It is an unfortunate circumstance, however, that many employed in the sale and
distribution of this foodstuff are drawn from an unenlightened
section of society, who in their ignorance are guilty of contaminating
a product which originated from factories where a high degree of
hygiene is maintained.
To remedy this, instruction has been given to individual
vendors and shopkeepers, and an effort has been made to help them
to think bacteriologically.
In addition to enforcing the principal provisions of the regulations, attention has been given to prohibiting the use of wooden
spatulas and unhygienic types of wafer servers incapable of being
satisfactorily cleansed. A tasteless and harmless germicide has been
introduced for the purpose of maintaining vendors' utensils reasonably free from bacteria. A large number of retailers have been
induced to protect their stocks of ice-cream in cartons or wrappers,
and it is to be hoped that future regulations will render the sale of
loose ice-cream illegal.
At the end of 1947 there were 117 premises registered for the
sale of ice-cream in Greenwich. Of these 18 were manufacturers.
Ice-Cream Sampling.—During 1947 one hundred and eight samples
of ice-cream were taken, forty-six of which were regarded as
unsatisfactory in that they contained bacillus coli in less than
1 cc. Twenty-six of these were of ice-cream manufactured outside
this Borough under conditions over which we have no control.
Particulars of these samples were forwarded to the Areas concerned.
Any sample found to contain more than 100,000 organisms
per cc. or B. Coli present in less than 1 c.c. is regarded as unsatisfactory. A confirmatory methylene blue test is also carried out
as an added precaution.