London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Tower Hamlets 1971

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Tower Hamlets, London Borough]

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IV. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SERVICES
The Chief Public Health Inspector Mr. H.S. Davies reports as follows:-
CLEAN FOOD
Since the advent of the General & Markets Regulations set standards for
food premises and market food stalls, a concentrated effort has been made to
ensure that these are maintained. Some reward for these efforts is to-day
quite noticeable, particularly in market food stalls.
Members of the Council have also shown their awareness for the necessity
to improve standards for' the sale of food in the open air and some of the
success attained is directly attributable to the policy which has been adopted.
The Council, for example, have decided not to issue street trading licenses
for the sale of ice-cream which is not prepacked. They have also resolved that
casual licenses shall not be issued to food traders, and that the sale of the
following foods be excluded from future licences in respect of the streets
in the Borough designated for street trading:
(a) Meat, Poultry, Fish, Bread, Confectionery and Sweets (unless prepacked)
(b) Cooked and prepared food, except such as are cooked or prepared and are
prepacked prior to the time of trading as prescribed by the Council.
The implication of the latter resolution is that vendors of meat, poultry
and fish will presumably disappear from the street markets when the present
1icencees, for one reason or another, surrender their licences, as new
applicants appear unwilling to prepack these foods for sale from stalls.
Likewise hot dog trolleys, none of which is licensed at the moment, are
not permitted to trade in the borough, which is a very desirable feature by any
standards. But despite this, we have persons trading illegally in hot dogs and
loose ice-cream.
The Metropolitan Police have been most helpful in arresting these illegal
traders. They and their trolleys are held in custody at the Police Station until
a public health inspector has visited, and made his inspection under the Food
and Drugs Act 1955, and most important they are held until their identity has
been proved.
The heavy fines imposed in these cases do not, unfortunately, deter these
individuals who charge tourists and others excessive prices for their foods and
have a lucrative business.
CLEAN AIR
Notices were given to the Council of proposals toinstal furnaces in three
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