London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Paddington 1962

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Paddington, Metropolitan Borough of]

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37
vegetables packed in the United Kingdom need not be disclosed.
But if the canners do not avail themselves of the exemptions in the
Labelling of Food Order, then surely they are obliged to comply
with its requirements. In this case the canners declared alternative
ingredients thereby nullifying the fundamental principle of the
Labelling of Food Order which requires the appearance on the
wrapper of a true statement of the contents. A voluntary declaration
of ingredients should be just as accurate as an obligatory
declaration.
The year 1962 saw the introduction of six or seven new regulations
concerning the quality of food and drugs. The Orders issued
dealt with the following matters:—The Emulsifiers and Stabilisers
in Food Regulations, 1962, controls the use of such articles in quite
a comprehensive manner. Their use in milk is prohibited by the
Milk and Dairies (Emulsifiers and Stabilisers) Regulations, 1962.
The position with regard to legal proceedings was clarified by the
Food and Drugs (Legal Proceedings) Regulations, 1962 and by the
Milk and Dairies (Legal Proceedings) Regulations, 1962. Regulations
were made for amending the standards for table Jellies.
Probably the most far reaching of the regulations made was one
which drastically altered the Preservatives in Food Regulations,
1925. A far greater range of foods may now contain preservatives
of a much greater variety. A maximum limit is set to the amount
of preservative which is permitted.
During 1962 was issued the Final Report of the Committee
on Consumer Protection. Paragraph 9 of this report relates to
food and drugs and says among other things " We found in the
Food and Drugs Act, 1955, provisions and powers of a most comprehensive
nature. ... It is difficult to conceive of more farreaching
provisions and powers than this Act contains for the
protection of the consumer against unfit or deleterious food and
drugs . . . the Ministers have the benefit of assistance from the
Food Hygiene Advisory Council and of a Food Standards Committee,
which now includes spokesmen for the consumer; and are,
of course, answerable to Parliament for the manner in which they
discharge their statutory duty . . . We say however, that we
are unable to envisage a better system to handle the difficult and
contentious issues which inevitably arise. We have not therefore
given attention to problems which fall within the express or
discretionary ambit of the Food and Drugs Act."
The first Pure Food Act was made in 1860. Considerable
progress has been made over one hundred years in the protection
of the consumer over the vital matter of food and drugs and this is

A summary of the samples analysed during the year is given below:—

Drugs19
Meat and Meat Products41
Milks121
Other Articles319
500