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33
APPENDIX
Report of the Public Analyst (J. H. E. Marshall, M.A., F.R.I.C.)
for the year ended 31st December, 1963.
To the Mayor, Aldermen and Councillors
of the Metropolitan Borough of Paddington.
Your Worship, Ladies and Gentlemen,
The number of samples submitted for examination during the
year was 500. Of these, 486 were obtained under the provisions of
the Food and Drugs Act, 1955, and 14 were complaint samples.
There were irregularities in 14 of the samples obtained under the
Food and Drugs Act and these, with the 14 complaint samples, were
the subjects of special reports. Six of the samples were chemically
unsatisfactory in that three contained excessive traces of copper (a
metal which is toxic if present in large quantities). These three
articles had probably been prepared in copper vessels. Two medicines
did not have the requisite composition. The last unsatisfactory
sample was that of mincemeat which was only very slightly deficient
in soluble solids. This latter indicates how closely a manufacturer
tries to get to the statutory standards with his article. It is natural
to conclude that such a manufacturer is more concerned with an
exact application of the standard than marketing an excellent product
at a fair price. A further six samples were inaccurately labelled.
The complaint samples were quite varied in character:—A
sample of fish that caused illness because it was not properly cookcd,
though the complainant blamed the quality of the fish; two milk
bottles were dirty; a hot meat pie was stale; lemon curd was of old
stock; a wedding cake was mouldy and a bottle of lemonade had
been capped with a stopper which had a residue of disinfectant on
it. Complaints which were not justified were:—Potatoes alleged
to be bitter; bread containing a "foreign object; cake with an
alleged splinter of glass; "contaminated" corned beef and a sample
of butter. Lastly, a sample of Camembert cheese' was submitted
for adjudication on the question of ripeness which is, of course,
always a matter of personal preference.
New legislation during the year included Bread and Flour
Regulations which prescribed permitted ingredients for bread and
imposed requirements as to labelling and also restrictions on such
things as claims for slimming. Soft Drinks Regulations impose
standards of composition and requirements as to labelling. The
Poisons Rules contained many detailed amendments.
A matter which is at present very much in the mind of the
public is the control of drugs in respect of their safety and purity,
and the accuracy of their compounding. The number of drugs
available to the public has increased enormously since the introduction
of the National Health Service, and there is little or no
control of their quality by independent authority. Whilst it may be