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the name of ice cream. It was often of poor quality and standard. Immediate and vigorous
steps were taken to improve this state of affairs and I believe that we have achieved some
considerable success. There are now accepted standards of bacterial purity, and of 180 samples
submitted for examination last year 113 were regarded as satisfactory. Where samples are
found to be unsatisfactory an immediate visit is made to the premises and your food inspectors
examine in detail the method of manufacture. The approach is not one of fault-finding, but
rather of help and advice. Your inspectors' visits are welcomed rather than resented and
the manufacturers in the Borough are anxious to produce a thoroughly good article.
Limitation of ingredients makes it difficult to produce a product that compares in food value,
taste and cream content, with the pre-war article, but there is no reason why its standard
of cleanliness should not be satisfactory. To this end your department is striving with the
co-operation of the manufacturers. Ice cream produced in the Borough is distributed widely
for there are at least four firms who are manufacturing on a considerable scale and delivering
over a large area.
Licensed Premises.
During the early part of 1948 various members of the committee raised the question as
to whether licensed premises were providing food and drink under hygienic conditions. I do
not think that their complaints were limited or confined to St. Pancras in particular. There
was criticism of glasses and crockery throughout the country. I had also received complaints
as to the inadequacy of sanitary provision in some licensed premises in the Borough.
I therefore determined to carry out a survey of the whole Borough in this respect. There are
238 licensed premises in the Borough, and it is pleasing to record that although every public
house in the Borough has been inspected and in many cases work involving considerable
expense required, I have met with co-operation from owners and licensees. If beer is to be
produced and served in a healthy manner, various requisites must be secured. Storage must
be adequate and clean. Piping from barrel to bar must be hygienic, capable of being cleaned
and kept clean. There must be proper provision for the cleansing of glasses and a satisfactory
method of dealing with spillage, for the law requires that a pint of beer shall be served in a
glass that contains a pint, no more and no less, and to secure this it is impossible to avoid
over-filling. In addition to this, the comfort of the customer must be secured by providing
hygienic premises and adequate sanitary conveniences.
As a result of a survey it was found that out of 238 public houses, in only 33 were the
premises so satisfactory that no faults could be found.
Seventy-five defects were found in kitchens, 188 in cellars, 118 in bars and 68 behind
counters.
The sanitary accommodation for males was inadequate in 33 cases and defective in 103;
and for females absent in 46 and unsatisfatory in 61.
The attention of owners was called to the above defects, and in a large proportion of the
cases the necessary work has already been carried out. In the remainder I have little doubt
but that improvements will take place within the next few months.
With regard to beer spillings, in 60 cases it is either thrown away or returned to the
brewers, but in 178 cases it is resold after passing through either a utiliser or some less
satisfactory type of filter. I think this question of spillage needs very careful consideration,
and have yet to be persuaded that the public will not accept beer in a glass that contains
over a pint, and with a line upon it showing when the correct quantity has been served.