View report page

29
Unsound or Unsaleable Food—Disposal
Under Section 73 (1) of the Public Health Act 1936 a local authority may undertake the removal of
trade refuse from premises within their district, and having so undertaken shall at the request of the
occupier remove such trade refuse. Westminster has entered into such an undertaking.
Schedule 11, Part II (7) of the London Government Act 1963 states that any person who has in his
possession or under his control any article of food which is unsound, unwholesome or unfit for
human consumption, may, by notice to the local authority, specifying and identifying the article,
request its removal as if it were trade refuse.
During the year some 231 tons of unsound or unsaleable foodstuffs were voluntarily surrendered
for disposal.
Food condemned or voluntarily surrendered to the Public Health Inspectors is taken to the
Councils' Central Depot, at Gatliff Road, and removed by barge for disposal by controlled tipping
at Pitsea.
Pesticides and Other Toxic Chemicals
Following a Government request to the Advisory Committee on Pesticides and Other Toxic
Chemicals "to consider and advise on any improvements and extensions of present safety arrangements
that may be desirable to provide greater protection against hazards arising from the use of
toxic chemicals in agriculture and food storage", the Association of Municipal Corporations was
invited to submit evidence to the Advisory Committee, and general comments were forwarded.
The County Council Association then invited the co-operation of members of the Association of
Municipal Corporations in a scheme which had been proposed by the Association of Public
Analysts. The scheme was to enable a systematic enquiry to be carried out by member authorities,
through the medium of food sampling, into the extent of contamination of foodstuffs by toxic
chemicals and particularly organochlorine pesticide residues.
Authorities who decided to participate in the scheme were invited to inform accordingly the
Association who would then prepare a consolidated list of samples to be taken by each authority.
The Health Committee recommended to the City Council that Westminster should join the enquiry.
A list of a total of 19 samples, to be taken over one year at four-monthly intervals at a ratio of 7,
5 and 7 was received, and the first batch of seven samples was submitted to the appointed Public
Analyst in November. The satisfactory results obtained are shown in Table 28, page 75.
In all, 24 London Boroughs intimated their willingness to assist in the scheme.
Export Certificates
Application for Certificates of Export received in the Health Department during the year in
respect of foodstuffs which consigners wished to despatch abroad numbered 20.
In each case, the Food Inspector inspects the consignment which it is intended to export and where
necessary submits a representative sample to the Public Analyst or Public Health Laboratory to
ascertain the fitness of the product concerned before issuing a certificate. No charge is at present
made for this service.
Pharmacy and Poisons Acts, 1933 and 1941
At the end of the year the names of 159 traders were on the Council's lists of persons entitled to
sell poisons included in Part II of the poisons list, the number of premises concerned being 206.
Fertilizers and Feeding Stuffs Act, 1926
Five samples were taken during the year, two of which were dried blood, two bonemeal and one
fertiliser. All were found to be satisfactory.
Poultry Processing Premises
There are no poultry processing premises in the City of Westminster.
Slaughter of Animals
There are no slaughter houses in Westminster, but in the grounds of the Zoological Society of
London for many years there has been a knacker's yard, licensed by the Council, where slaughtering
takes place for animal feeding purposes. The necessary licences for this and for the slaughterman
who works there were renewed during the year.
Applications are also received from time to time from the Royal Society for the Prevention of
Cruelty to Animals for Slaughterman's licences to be issued to probationary inspectors. Forty-two
such licences were issued during the year and they are necessary in order that the inspectors
concerned can commence training as slaughtermen and receive from the Society practical
training and instruction in modern methods of humane slaughter.