View report page

54
During the year a number of complaints were received from members
of the public alleging that foodstuffs purchased by them were unfit for
consumption for one reason or another. All these were investigated and
appropriate action taken.
The following provide a note of interest:—
Bread containing dark material which the complainant thought to be
mouse excreta, was brought to the department. Examination showed
that the foreign matter was charred bread, derived from the baker's
bench.
Three out of four cartons of milk obtained from a vending machine
were found to be unfit, the milk being curdled with complete separation
of the milk from the solids. Here the offence arose through the human
element; cartons of milk without code markings had not been withdrawn
from the machine by an assistant, and in consequence the milk had
turned sour. A warning was given to the company.
A churn of milk delivered to premises in Westminster was found, on
emptying, to contain a complete folded newspaper. Investigation did
not reveal how this had occurred, but a cautionary letter was sent to the
Dairy Company concerned.
A packet of cake mix contained two moths and webbing. At the
retail shop eight further packets were found to be similarly affected, and
as one packet was opened by the Food Inspector, a moth flew out. The
packets had been in the shop for a considerable time and the source of
infestation was believed to be a quantity of dried fruit, which contained
a large number of dead moths. Legal proceedings were taken against
the shopkeeper and a fine of £40 was imposed with £10 10s. costs.
A milk bottle containing what the complainant thought was a
squashed beetle was the subject of a complaint to the department. The
'beetle' in fact was a blob of paint. The Dairy Company stated that no
mechanical washer could remove this, though the processes through
which the bottle had passed had made it sterile. Two and a half million
bottles are washed and filled by the Company weekly.
Locust beans purchased at a large store contained insects, and the
upper layers of the sack containing the beans were found to be contaminated
with the dried currant moth. The infestation was believed
to have occurred prior to the arrival of the beans at the shop, but regular
inspection of the stock would have revealed that infestation had occurred.
A bath bun was found by the complainant to contain a folded paper
towel. A similar type of towel was found to be in use at the bakehouse
(not in Westminster). It was claimed that by misadventure one of the
towels must have fallen into the mixing pan without being observed.
Court proceedings ensued, and a fine of £10 was imposed with £5 5s. costs.