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
Lewisham 1963
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Lewisham Borough]
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50
FOOD GENERALLY
Adulteration of food
The number of samples taken during the year under the Food and
Drugs Act was 695; of these, 9 were formal and 686 informal. After
examination the public analyst reported that 4 of the formal samples
and 39 of the informal samples were adulterated or below standard;
the percentage of adulteration amounted to 44.4 in the formal samples,
5.7 in the informal samples, and to 6.2 of all the samples submitted,
compared with 4.0 in the previous year.
Samples analysed Table 35
| Articles | Examined | Adulterated | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Formal | Informal | Total | Formal | Informal | Total | |
| Beverages | — | 36 | 36 | — | 1 | 1 |
| Bread, biscuits, cake flour | — | 9 | 9 | — | — | — |
| Colouring matter | — | 3 | 3 | — | — | — |
| Drugs | 4 | 34 | 38 | 2 | 4 | 6 |
| Fats, cheese | 1 | 40 | 41 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Fish | — | 8 | 8 | — | — | — |
| Flavourings and condiments | — | 134 | 134 | — | 11 | 11 |
| Fruit, nuts | — | 64 | 64 | — | — | — |
| Icecream | — | 29 | 29 | — | — | — |
| Jams, pastes, etc. | — | 31 | 31 | — | 2 | 2 |
| Meats and preserved meats | 2 | 51 | 53 | 1 | 10 | 11 |
| Milk and cream | 2 | 65 | 67 | — | 2 | 2 |
| Sausages | — | 26 | 26 | — | 2 | 2 |
| Sweet confectionery | — | 34 | 34 | — | 4 | 4 |
| Vegetables and cereals | — | 51 | 51 | — | — | — |
| Miscellaneous | — | 71 | 71 | — | 1 | 1 |
| TOTALS | 9 | 686 | 695 | 4 | 39 | 43 |
A disturbing feature of the above table is the number of samples
(25 out of 43) which did not comply with the Labelling of Food Order,
1953. In the majority of cases where the manufacturers' or retailers'
attention was drawn to the offences, it was possible to arrange for new
labels to be used which would provide the purchaser with a clear
indication of what the food contained, and in cases where co-operation
was lacking formal samples were taken and legal proceedings authorised,
but in no cases was it necessary to take proceedings.
The above table includes 44 samples of fruit taken at the Continental
Freight Depot, and in all cases the samples were found to be free from
excessive amounts of pesticides.
Non-genuine samples Table 36
| Article | Formal or informal | Adulteration or irregularity | Action taken or result of proceedings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Milk | Informal | Deficient in fat to the extent of 10.3% | Second sample taken and found to be satisfactory |