London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
London County Council 1931
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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may be reviewed at the expiration of a period of six months from the date of the adoption
of the new dietary scale, which is set out below :—
| Breakfast. | Amount. | 11 a.m. | Dinner. | Amount. | Tea. | Amount. | Supper. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age | 3-9 yrs. | 10-15yrs. | 3—9 yrs. | Age | 3-9 yrs. | 10-15 yrs. | Age | 3-9 yrs. | 10-15yrs. | Over 9 yrs. | |
| Porridge | ½ oz. raw | 1½ oz. raw | Milk, ½pt. | Meat, beef, such as top side, 3 oz., or 4 oz. uncooked ; leg, 3½ oz., or 5 oz. uncooked ; ox cheek, aitch bone, brisket, 4 oz., or 6 oz. uncooked. | Bread (white, brown or currant) | 5 oz. | Children over 9 years who choose it to have supper consisting of a slice of bread (2 oz.) and margarine (£ oz.), 1 hour before bed-time. | ||||
| (Rolled oats or medium Scotch meal and milk twice a week) | ½ pt. | ½ pt. | Margarine or dripping (5 days a week) | ½ oz | ½ oz | ||||||
| Bread (white or brown) | 3-6 oz. | 4-8 oz. | Mutton, such as leg, 3 oz., or 4 oz., uncooked; breast or neck, 4 oz., or 6 oz. uncooked. | ||||||||
| Liver, pork, baco, rabbit | 2 oz cooked | 3 oz cooked | Butter (twice a week) | ½ oz. | ½ oz. | See note + | |||||
| Margarine (80 per cent, animal fat) twice a week: dripping 2 days a week | ½ oz. | ½ oz. | Corned beef (once a week) | 2 oz. | 3 oz. | ||||||
| Fish (once a week) | 4 oz. cooked. | 6 oz. cooked. | Jam or treacle or honey (once a week) | 1 oz. | 1 oz. | ||||||
| Butter twice a week | ½oz. | ½oz. | Soup (pea or lentil) or meat broth (allow ½ oz of meat uncooked). | Once a week. | 8 oz. | ½ pt. | Tomato cheese (twice a week)† | ¾ oz. | 1 oz. | ||
| Herring ($) or filleted haddock (2£ oz.) once a week | 2½ oz. | 2½ oz. | Potato | 4—5 oz. | 4—8 oz. | Apple †† | 2½ oz. | 2½ oz. | Strict attention to be given to the cleansing of teeth immediately before bed-time. | ||
| Fresh vegetables in season (greens, carrots, turnips or onions) or | 4 oz. 5 times a week | 4 oz. at least 3 times a week | Cake once a week (bread ration reduced) | 3 oz. | 4 oz. | ||||||
| Fried bacon or slice of cold bacon or rissole twice a week | 1½ oz. | 1½ oz. | Dried peas and beans | 2 oz. not more than twice a week. | 2£ oz. not more than 3 times a week. | Tea: ½th pt. of milk per child | ½ pt. | ¾pt. | |||
| Marmalade and syrup twice a week | ½ oz. | ½ oz. | *Boiled or milk pudding 5 times a week in winter ; twice a week in summer | 4 oz. | 5 oz. | **Fresh salads to be given frequently in place of jam, tomato cheese, etc. | |||||
| On other days, jam or treacle tart (hot) | 4 oz. | 5 oz. | |||||||||
| Cocoa or coffee (j pt. milk per child) 5 times a week | ½ pt. | ½ pt. | 4 oz. | 5 oz. | |||||||
| 3 oz. | 4 oz. | ||||||||||
| Fried potatoes 2 days a week | 3 oz. uncooked. | 4 oz. uncooked. | 3 oz. | 4 oz. | |||||||
| With any of these, milk puddings can be served ; the choice of dish depending partly on the prevailing weather | 2 oz. | 3 oz. | |||||||||
Additional ingredients each week per child: f lb. of sugar, & pt. milk, 4 oz. flour, 2 oz. fat, J egg, Porridge may be withdrawn from the dietary during the summer months, at the discretion of
2 oz. dates or raisins, condiments as may be necessary. the superintendent, provided that the bread ration is then increased, and that the milk ration is not
• Boiled pudding (suet, date, raisin, bread, etc.) made according to the formula of flour 2 oz., reduced,
suet | oz., fruit | oz. Bread crumbs may be used in lieu of flour up to one-third of the quantity allowed. Bread is to be served at table in necessary quantities.
f Tomato cheese—Cheese without rind to be passed through the mincer and mixed to a paste Potatoes—When potatoes are poor in quality, the ration may be supplemented with rice or dried
with canned tomato pulp in proportion of 3 oz. cheese to 2 oz. tomato. This to be spread on bread peas.
and margarine. Quantities—Unless otherwise stated, the quantities shown in the table are in an uncooked state.
ft Every child to have 2\ oz. of raw apple every day served at the end of the last meal, whether Children under 5 years of age—Children aged three to five should have their food allowances
tea or supper. * " adjusted in accordance with age, and the quantities in the table may safely be diminished. Pish at
•* Salads—During winter months raw salads should be provided by passing through the mincer this age should be without bones ; coffee and raw salads (with the exception of lettuce leaves in season)
O available garden produce : cabbage, beetroot, carrots, turnips, swedes, etc., and serving raw with should be omitted. The full milk and fruit allowances should, however, be strictly adhered to.
salad dressing. This may be given at dinner instead of cooked vegetables with cold meat; or at Appetite—Notwithstanding anything in this dietary table, each child shall be fed according to
breakfast or tea on days when extras are not available ; or in place of extras on other days. appetite.