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
Paddington 1906
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Paddington, Metropolitan Borough of]
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71
food supervision.
V.—Food Adulteration.
The samples purchased and submitted to the Public Analyst numbered 506 last year,
.52 of them being found to be adulterated, equal to 10.2 per cent., as compared with 6.5 per
cent. in 1905, 8.9 in 1904, and 6.9 in 1903. A list of the samples is given in Table 42.
TABLE 42
Summary of Articles submitted to the Public Analyst during the year 1906.
| Total. | Found Adulterated. | Percentage Adulterated. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Milk | 312* | 41 | 13.1 |
| Butter | 82 | 10 | 12.2 |
| Coffee | 26 | - | - |
| Cheese | 18 | - | - |
| Mustard | 13 | - | - |
| Sweets | 9 | - | - |
| Lard | 7 | - | - |
| Margarine | 5 | - | - |
| Pepper | 5 | - | - |
| Cocoa | 4 | + | - |
| Skim Milk | 4 | l | 25.0 |
| Arrowroot | 2 | — | - |
| Cachous | 2 | — | - |
| Corned Beef | 2 | — | - |
| Ground Rice | 2 | — | - |
| Tinned Lobster | 2 | — , | - |
| „ Apricots | 1 | — | - |
| „ Ham | 1 | — | - |
| „ Oxtail Soup | 1 | — | - |
| „ Pears | 1 | - | - |
| „ Salmon | 1 | — | - |
| „ Tomatoes | 1 | — | — |
| „ Tongue | 1 | - | — |
| Chicken and Veal Paste | 1 | - | — |
| Tapioca | 1 | - | — |
| Vinegar | 1 | — | - |
| 506 | 52 | 10.2 |
* Including 98 taken at Paddington (G.W.R.) Terminus in course of delivery; 30 adulterated.
Of the 312 samples of milk, 98 were taken at the Paddington (G.W.R.) Terminus at the
request of the consignees. Thirty (30) of these samples proved to be adulterated, equal to
30.0 per cent., as compared with 12.0 in 1905, 18.7 in 1904, and 8.1 in 1903. As the
consignees have generally tested the milk before requesting the Inspector to take samples,
a large proportion of adulterated samples is always expected, but the rise over the proportion
of the preceding years is very disappointing.
Of the 214 samples procured locally (streets and shops) 11 were found to be adulterated,
equal to 5.1 per cent., a proportion slightly lower than any recorded in the past three years,
viz., 1905, 5.6; 1904, 5.4; and 1903, 5.3. The purchase of such samples is made periodically
on Sundays as well as week-days.
The Use of Preservatives.—The Departmental Committee of the Government Board on the
"Use of Preservatives and Colouring Matters in Foods," recommended in their Report (1901)