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ITINERANT FOOD VENDORS
Constant inspections of barrows and of itinerant food vendors have been maintained and no
difficulty has been experienced in connection with this class of trade.
AGRICULTURE PRODUCE (GRADING & MARKING) ACTS, 1928-1931
Regulations made under these Acts prescribe designations referred to as "Grade designations"
indicating the quality of certain articles of agricultural or fishery produce. Such regulations contain
definitions of the quality indicated by every "grade designation" thereby prescribed and
specify a "grade designation mark" to represent each "grade designation".
The Acts also stipulate that all "preserved" eggs shall be so marked before being offered
for sale and that all premises used for the cold storage or chemical storage of eggs shall be
registered with the local authority. There are no firms so registered in the City of London. No
difficulty was experienced in the administration of these Acts.
MERCHANDISE MARKS ACT, 1926
This Act prohibits the importation of certain foodstuffs unless they bear marks indicating
the "country of origin" or whether they are of "Foreign" or "Empire" origin. No difficulty has
been experienced in the administration of this Act.
FISH INSPECTION
Inspection of fish in the City of London is carried out by officers of the Worshipful the Fishmongers'
Company.
The Fishmeters returns indicated as follows:-
Deliveries at or near Billingsgate Market Weight of Condemnation
(including shellfish) Fish condemned Rate
80,101 tons 272 tons 0.33%
MEAT AND FOOD INSPECTION-SMITHFIELDS MARKET
During the year 338,768 tons of meat and poultry etc. were delivered into Smithfield Market,
a slight decrease compared with 1965.
Total condemnations amounted to approximately 544 tons, an increase of 68 tons over 1965.
This increase was due, in the main, to 163 tons of beef taken from consignments of South American
beef arriving in this country grossly contaminated by bacterial spoilage and mould fungi.
The Meat Inspection Regulations, 1963, as amended by the Meat Inspection (Amendment)
Regulations, 1966, require that from 31st October, 1966 all carcases of meat be inspected and
stamped by the Local Authority before leaving the slaughterhouse. Of the carcases, in Smithfield,
found to be diseased from January 1st to October 31st, 1966, 17% did not appear to bear any
Local Authority stamp. For November and December, 1966, the period when this regulation came
into full effect, this figure dropped to 5%. In 1965, 35% of the stamp marks on diseased items
were illegible, but during 1966 this figure dropped to 23%. In accordance with the Circular FSH
9/63, accompanying the 1963 Regulations, Local Authorities continue to be notified of any condemnation
of diseased items bearing their legible inspection stamps.
In March 1966 the department produced a Handbook of Poultry Inspection, containing twenty
four coloured pictures of the most common diseases found in poultry on sale in the market. This
handbook, which is being distributed by the Meat Trades Journal on behalf of the Corporation, is
having a good sale, copies having gone all over the world. It is the first Handbook of its kind
ever to be published.
The department has been requested on several occasions to assist student inspectors of the
R.S.PiC.A. Visits to the condemned meat room and laboratory have been most helpful to them and
the Society is most grateful for this assistance.
In March, Mr. F.E. Thompson, M.B.E. was invited to give a talk on meat and poultry diseases
and conditions to the Society of Medical Officers of Health, East Midlands Branch at Nottingham.
In July, Messrs. W.R. Lee and K.S. Seymour were invited to give a lecture on poultry diseases
to the Surrey Branch of the Association of Public Health Inspectors at Reigate 50 Inspectors
attended.
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