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found to be negative. Indonesian nutmegs, heavily affected by insect contamination were released
for essential oil extraction, and, in a lesser attack, for screening and cleaning before use
for human consumption. Turkish dried apricots containing Sulphur dioxide preservative, marginally
in excess of the permitted limit, were released only for catering purposes where cooking was
required before use. Another consignment, packed for retail sale, where the amount of Sulphur
dioxide was much in excess of the permitted limit, was detained and is being exported.
There are regular arrivals of bulk lard in tanker ships, and in each case, the requisite
official certificates are scrutinised for compliance with the Regulations. Such Certificates
are now required to indicate the position in the ship of the tanks, to state the quantity of
lard in the tanks, and to state that the tanks were inspected and found to be clean before the
lard was loaded: Samples of the lard are periodically taken for analysis.
Samples of imported dried egg and frozen prawns and shrimps, periodically submitted for
bacteriological examination during the year, were all found to be satisfactory.
Detention notices numbering 143 and 114 release notices were served under the Public
Health (Imported Food) Regulations 1937-48 and the Imported Food Regulations 1968. These notices
affected a variety of foodstuffs including; animal casings, cocoa, coffee, confectionery
cocoa butter, dried apricots, dried egg and dried fish, fruit juice, groundnut kernels,
groundnuts in shell, meats, nutmegs, salami, sausages, shrimps, spaghetti, sugar, tea, tomato
paste and walnut kernels.
Section 62 of the Health Services and Public Health Act 1968 brought hovercraft within
the scope of the Food and Drugs Act 1950 and the Public Health Act 1936 by construing the words
"Vessel" and ''Ship" as including hover vehicles.
Liquid Egg Pasteurisation
There are two plants in the borough where liquid egg is pasteurised. The high level of
hygiene at the larger of the two establishments was well maintained during the year. At the
smaller premises difficulties are still experienced because of cramped conditions in an old
building due for demolition in the future. Pasteurising occurs there intermittently and all 15
samples taken proved satisfactory when submitted to the alpha amylase test.
Milk Supply-Samples
Milk samples submitted for chemical analysis numbered 30, including 8 taken at hospitals,
schools and day nurseries. The average fat and solids-not-fat content of ordinary milk samples
analysed was 3.88 and 8.54 per cent respectively, and of the superfatted variety 4.55 and
8.85 per cent.
No raw milk is sold or processed in the Borough. Consequently no samples were taken for
examination for the presence of brucella abortus,
One sample of milk, purchased at a retail shop, was found to contain, surprisingly, at
least 2 per cent of extraneous water, Additional samples obtained from the same source of
production were satisfactory, and investigation at the dairy failed to reveal the reason for
the discrepancy.
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