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far as they refer to infection or contamination, by gases or effluvia arising from sewers, drains, &c.,
to cleanliness of receptacles and utensils, and to the preservation, purity and protection from infection
and contamination should be extended so as to apply to all places used for the manufacture, preparation
or sale of food.
Inspection of Food.
The food, other than uncooked butchers' meat, which was seized by the officers of the London
sanitary authorities, consisted chiefly of fish, fruit, vegetables, eggs, poultry, condensed milk and tinned
foods. The reports show that such food was seized in Paddington. Fulham, Chelsea, Westminster,
St. James, Westminster, Marylebone, St. Pancras, Hackney, St. Giles, Strand, Holborn, City, Shoreditch,
Bethnal-green, Whitechapel, St. George-in-the-East, Limehouse, Mile-end Old-town, Poplar,
St. Saviour, Southwark, St. George-the-Martyr, Newington, St. Olave, Bermondsey, Rotherhithe,
Battersea, Clapham, Wandsworth, Greenwich and Deptford. In the City, 750 tons of fish were condemned
at or near Billingsgate. In the Strand district in which Covent-garden market is situated,
considerable quantities of fruit and vegetables were condemned, especially in the hot month of July.
Much attention has been recently directed to the sale of tinned food, and the fact was established
during the year that a trade is carried on in which blown tins are punctured and afterwards sealed
and labelled so as to make them resemble tins the contents of which have not by change in condition,
brought about the blowing or bulging of the tins. The following extract from the annual report of
the medical officer of health of Limehouse is of interest in this connection—
On February 2nd, accompanied by the inspector for the No. 3 district, I seized a large
number of tinned goods, lying at No. 3, Sago-street, Shadwell. Knowing that the owner, who was a
wholesale merchant, had been previously prosecuted by a neighbouring vestry, but had,
unfortunately been discharged, I decided that I should carefully sort each individual tin before
proceeding before the magistrate to have them condemned. My plan was this, to divide a parcel of foods
into four, allot one parcel to each of the threo sanitary inspectors and to sort the fourth myself. Then I
carefully examined each tin that had been rejected by the inspectors so that I could inform the
magistrate that each tin which I had seized had been examined by me personally. They included 3,971
tins of milk, salmon, sardines, soups, rabbits, compressed beef, vegetables, Ac. It was proved conclusively
at the police-court that he was in the habit of buying rejected canned goods from importers, for the
purpose of feeding pigs. In fact the invoices that were produced were marked " pigs' food," but he failed
to show that he had ever sold a tin in his life for pigs' food. The tins, when the contents are bad,
become bulged or blown from the formation of the gas produced during putrefaction. These tins were
pricked to let out the gas, re-soldered and fresh labels pasted over. The result was that the tins would
appear good and would remain apparently good for two or three weeks. When I made the seizure,
several men were employed putting on these labels. The case lasted five days, and Mr. Dickenson
having found him guilty, sentenced him to five months' hard labour. It was a very severe sentence, but
not too severe, considering the amount of injury the man could do and has undoubtedly done.
The medical officer of health of Bethnal-green also reports that the chief inspector has found
that an extensive trade is being earned on in unsound tinned provisions. He writes: " These usually are
condemned stores disposed of by the owners, ostensibly for conversion into pig and poultry food. We
have ascertained that articles of this nature are purchased by dealers who proceed to prick the bulged
tins and resolder them. The old label is then washed off and a new one pasted on. In this state
they are disposed of to the keepers of small general shops, and to the manufacturers of cheap confectionery."
The chief inspector states that unsound condensed milk is used for making caramels and
caramel toffee. In connection with a seizure of unsound condensed milk to be used for such manufacture
the owner was fined £25. The inspector, referring to this case, writes: " Since then inspectors
Bridal and Mills acting under my instructions seized 125 tins of bad condensed milk at 58, Collingwood-street,
and 83 tins of sardines at 71, Cambridge-road. At the time of writing two summonses in
respect of these seizures are pending, and I will therefore only add that arising out of them, inspector
Bridal proceeded to Islington, and gave such information to the officers of that authority as resulted
in their making a seizure of upwards of 2,000 tins of blown sardines, salmon, condensed milk, &c., on
the premises of a man who I have reason to believe has been largely engaged in trafficking in
unsound food stuffs of this description."
Enquiries were made by the medical officer of health of Mile-end Old-town at a large number
of small general shops concerning the condition of tins of condensed milk. At the rear of one shop a
quantity of such tins were found which were unfit for food. This milk was condensed, and it was
then ascertained that the vendor of the "milk lived in Poplar, and was carrying on a similar trade in
that district, where he was prosecuted by and fined at the instance of the local authority.
In Poplar the inspector seized 71 blown tins of condensed milk. The defendant's assistants
admitted that the tins were deposited for the contents being used for the making of caramel toffee,
aud he was fined £20 with £10 10s. costs. The medical officer of health writing on this subject says—
" I suggested to the Sanitary Committee that it would be advisable to point out to the importers
and the wholesale houses the desirability of having tins containing bad condensed milk destroyed
altogether, or removed by the local authority as trade refuse (more especially as the importers and
wholesale houses now pay to have it taken away) and then there would be no possibility of it being used
as human food. I stated that it was manifestly wrong that the contents of tins which have practically
been given away for pig-feeding or manure should again find their way into the market. It is not only
detrimental to the public health, but it is bad from a monetary point of view as it must interfere with
the trade of the shop-keepers, and it must also lessen the business of the wholesale houses and importers
of condensed milk. The question was asked, is such milk fit for pig-feeding ? But the Public Health
(London) Act, 1891, only relates to articles intended for the food of man The Committee recommended
that the various sanitary authorities in London be asked to communicate the suggestion to wholesale
dealers in condensed milk in their districts.
On another occasion I reported for the information of the Committee and general public, that it was
rumoured that the contents of blown tins containing unwholesome condensed milk, since the recent
prosecutions are emptied into gallon jars, and thus supplied to dishonest pastry cooks, &c., the opening
of such tins and the pouring into the jars take place near a pig-stye, as if for pigs' food, in order to throw
the officers of the local authorities ofi their guard.
Large seizures of tinned foods were made irt some other districts. In Bermondsey, 181 cases of
condensed milk, containing about 7,000 tins, were condemned, the owner being fined £78. Li