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1913] 264
INSPECTION OF FOOD.
This duty is undertaken by Inspector Wilkinson, who has long held the
certificate of an Inspector of Meat. His work during the year has, as usual,
resulted in preventing the sale of much unsound or diseased meat which might
otherwise have found its way to the public. For some years past the quantity
of food dealt with by him, and which was subsequently destroyed, has ranged
annually from two to four tons, but this by no means represents the amount
of undesirable food stuffs that would have been foisted on the public if
there had been no inspector. A signal example of this is the manner in which
the slaughter of cows has been driven from the Borough, where in 1900 668
were killed for human food, and in 1910, 1911, 1912 and 1913 none. The
trade in these used-up and emaciated animals, so far as Islington is concerned,
has gone, and, let it be hoped, never to return. This is due chiefly to the
rigid inspection that was made of the carcases by the Meat Inspectors, Mr.
Wilkinson and, to a certain extent, his predecessor, Mr. Young. The consignees
of these animals found that, owing to the close inspection the cows were
subjected to, which resulted in so many of the carcases being wholly or in part
condemned, it did not pay them to send such animals to Islington to be
slaughtered.
Unsound Food.—The total weight of the unsound food dealt with
by the inspector was 3 tons 9 cwt. 2 qrs. 13 lbs., as contrasted with 2 tons
5 cwt. 2 qrs. 5 lbs. in 1912. The chief item was meat and butchers' offal, of
which 1 ton 11 cwt. 2 qrs. 13 lbs. were destroyed. The other articles of food
surrendered or seized consisted of fish, vegetables, fruit, eggs, condensed milk,
meat and fish pasties, to which the inspector makes special allusion in his
report.
The seizure of ox tongues, infected with foot and mouth disease, is so
unusual an occurrence that it is well the facts, as reported to the Public Health
Committee, should be placed on permanent record here.
To the Chairman and Members of the
Public Health Committee.
Mr. Chairman, Alderman and Councillors,
Surrender of Ox Tongues.
I have to report that on the 24th February last a further quantity
of ox tongues were surrendered by a packing firm to Inspector Wilkinson,