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
Islington 1932
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Islington Borough]
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1932]
70
Proceedings which would have come under the Public Health (Preservatives,
etc., in Foods) Regulations, and amending Regulations, 1925, 1926 and 1927, can
now be taken under the Food and Drugs (Adulteration) Act, 1928, in which provision
is made, Section 2 (4)—" Where any Regulations made under the Public
Health (Regulations as to Food) Act, 1907, as amended by any subsequent enactment
and the enactments mentioned in that Act prescribing the composition of any
article of food intended for sale or prohibiting or restricting the addition of any preservative,
etc., the purchaser of such article shall unless the contrary is proved be
deemed for the purpose of this Section to have demanded an article complying
with the provisions of such Regulations. The Public Health (Preservatives in
Foods) Regulations replace the Milk and Cream Regulations, and, among other
foods, no cream may contain preservative.
During the year 1932, 23 informal samples of cream were taken, and one was
found to be adulterated; a formal sample was taken, which however proved to be
genuine.
38 informal samples of sausages and 8 informal samples of breakfast sausage
were taken. Four of the informal samples of sausages were found to be
adulterated and three formal samples were subsequently taken. Proceedings were
taken in Court in these cases, which were in respect of sausages sold by three
different vendors in the Caledonian Market without any declaration that the articles
sold contained preservatives.
During the year 1932 in addition to the samples taken and submitted to the
Public Analyst there was a total of 126 informal samples which were examined by
the Food and Drugs Inspector. These informal samples comprised a number of
varied articles.
The greatest amount of detected adulteration occurred in the first quarter of the year, as shown by the figures given in the statement below, when it was 7.0 per cent. and contrasted with 4.1 and 1.3 per cent., respectively, in the first, second and fourth quarters.
| Examined. | Genuine. | Adulterated. | Per Cent. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Formal | Informal | Formal | Informal | Formal | Informal | Adulterated. | |
| 1st Quarter | 173 | 139 | 159 | 131 | 14 | 8 | 7.0 |
| 2nd „ | 151 | 140 | 143 | 136 | 8 | 4 | 4.1 |
| 3rd „ | 110 | 165 | 110 | 165 | - | - | - |
| 4th „ | 174 | 129 | 172 | 127 | 2 | 2 | 1.3 |
| The Year | 608 | 573 | 584 | 559 | 24 | 14 | 3.2 |
Milk. —The qualitative result of the Analyses of the Milk samples, which have
now been published for many years, are as follows:-
No. of Samples. Solids not Fat. Fat. Total Solids.
Milk purchased on Sundays 111 8.83 3.56 12.39
Milk purchased on Week-days 806 8.82 8.60 12.42
Milk procured in transit at
Finsbury Park Station 179 8.89 3.72 12.61
Official Standard 8.50 3.00 11.50