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

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Marylebone 1949

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for St. Marylebone, Metropolitan Borough]

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permitted and that no new application to use that designation will be granted after the 30th September,
1952. It is of interest to note that under the new regulations the payment of fees for licences has been
abolished.
Butter and Margarine Premises.—At the end of the year there were on the register 15 dealers in
margarine and 2 butter manufacturers. Fifty-three inspections were made.
Ice Cream.—The number of premises on the register was 122, and 275 inspections were made. Two
applications for registration were refused as the premises in each case were considered to be unsuitable
for the sale of ice cream.
Seventeen samples of ice cream were examined bacteriologically. Of these, seven were found to be
satisfactory and ten were below standard. The question of the unsatisfactory samples was in each
case taken up with the manufacturers either direct or through the medical officer of health of the
district in which the factory was situated. In addition, 37 samples were submitted to the Public
Analyst and all were returned as genuine.
The Council agreed to co-operate with the Ministry of Food in securing the observance of
undertakings given by manufacturers of ice cream under a scheme made by the Ministry whereby an
increased allocation of sugar with a corresponding allocation of fat would be made available to such
manufacturers on the understanding that the fat content of their products would not fall below 2½ per
cent. In this connection the Ministry were subsequently supplied with particulars of the
under-mentioned ice cream analyses which showed that the fat content of none of these samples fell
below the percentage required by the Ministry.

TABLE 4.—Ice Cream Analyses.

Sample No.Per cent. FatPer cent. Solids not Fat
110.325.2
28.325.9
39.924.0
46.223.4
510.526.8
612.210.0
78.822.9
85.228.5
910.327.0
107.128.0
1110.818.7
129.421.3
138.925.5
146.525.1
159.124.5
166.923.0
1710.733.5
186.220.0
1910.424.4
2012.427.8
218.419.9
225.631.1
2311.211.2
249.221.0
258.820.4

On a number of occasions during the year the Food Standards Committee of the Ministry of Food
was urged by the Council to prescribe a standard of composition for ice cream or at least a provisional
minimum standard. The Committee, however, whilst agreeing that a standard was in principle
desirable, were of opinion that action should be deferred for the time being because, in view of the
scarcity of ingredients, especially fats and milk solids, a satisfactory standard could be prescribed only
at the expense of a reduction of supplies.
Preserved Food.—There were 111 shops, etc., on the register of premises approved for the
preparation or manufacture of preserved foods (sausages mainly) intended for sale, and 260 inspections
were made.
Fried Fish Vendors and Fish Curers.—The number of premises used by vendors of fried fish is 10 and
by fish curers 3. Twenty-six inspections of fried fish shops and 36 inspections of fish curers' premises
were carried out.