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10
Ice Cream.
Section 14, Food and Drugs Act, 1938, requires all premises
used for the sale, or the manufacture for the purpose of sale,
or the storage of ice-cream intended for sale, to be registered
by the local authority and imposes a penalty for the use of any
premises without being so registered. Premises used primarily
as a club, hotel, inn or restaurant, etc., are exempt.
Three applications for registration under this Section were
refused by the Council as the premises failed to comply with
the requirements of the Act.
There are 207 registered ice-cream premises in the Borough,
and 459 visits were made at these premises by the Food and
Drugs Inspector.
During the year 84 samples of ice-cream were taken in
course of manufacture and during sale for bacteriological
examination and chemical analysis. The results of the methylene
blue test (which indicated the bacterial cleanliness of
ice-cream) is as follows:—
23 Samples were within Grade 1 standard.
23 Samples were within Grade 2 standard.
14 Samples were within Grade 3 standard.
24 Samples were within Grade 4 standard.
A large percentage of samples falling within Grade 4 was due
to concentrated sampling of one particular manufacturer,
whose product in addition to being reported in the lowest grade
of the methylene blue test, contained bacillus coli of faecal
origin. In order to ascertain the cause of this, samples were
taken at frequent intervals at the factory, and at all stages of
manufacture. All the staff were interviewed and questioned on
their work and habits. Following structural alterations to the
premises, the installation of modern manufacturing equipment
and the re-organisation of methods of sterilization of plant and
utensils, the samples reverted to Grade 1.
Although there is no legal chemical standard for ice-cream,
the Ministry of Food has asked local authorities to inform them
of any samples reported to contain a minimum fat content of
2½ per cent. in order to ensure that additional supplies of
sugar and fats made available to certain ice-cream manufacturers
are being used. All samples showed a fat content
above this figure, ranging from 3.3 per cent. to 11.8 per cent.,
together with a non-fatty solid content between 18.2 per cent.
and 34.7 per cent.
Milk.
58 samples of milk were submitted to the Public Analyst
for chemical analysis, all of which were reported genuine.