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

View report page

Barnet 1967

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Barnet]

This page requires JavaScript

were inspected and found to be satisfactory. At the close of the year there were 73 such hawkers
on the register.
Slaughterhouses
There are two slaughterhouses in the Borough, neither of which is at present in use. Negotiations
to lease the premises owned by the Council were still in progress at the end of the year.
Three persons were licensed by the Council under the Slaughter of Animals Act 1951 as fit
persons to slaughter animals.
Poultry Inspection
(i) Number of poultry processing premises within the district 1
(ii) Number of visits to these premises 9
(iii) Total number of birds processed during the year 9546
(iv) Types of birds processed Hens only
(v) Percentage of birds rejected as unfit for human consumption Nil
(vi) Weight of poultry condemned as unfit for human consumption Nil
(vii) The live birds are bought by individual selection from farms in Hertfordshire,
only healthy birds being selected.
The processing premises consist of a building divided into two sections —
for killing and for dressing. The staff engaged in the business are the proprietor,
one male employee, and one female employed part-time.
The birds are killed by dislocation of the neck and are not eviscerated. The
carcases are immersed in a thermostatically controlled scalding tank and plucked
in an electric defeatherer. They are delivered the same or the following day after
slaughter to butchers in the Golders Green, Finchley, Harrow, Tottenham, Watford,
Elstree and Cockfosters areas for sale in the fresh trade.
As the birds are uneviscerated, inspection at the place of slaughter is limited but
doubtful carcases are retained and inspected in accordance with the procedures
recommended in Circular 22/61, of the Ministry of Health.
Labelling of Food
The Labelling of Food Order 1953 aims at providing the local authority with the legislation
necessary to insist that foodstuffs should have informative labelling which does not mislead the
purchaser. Unless special exemption is given, all pre-packed foods should have on the label or
wrapper, the name and address of the packer or labeller or alternatively a trade mark together with
the words "registered trade mark". There has been a growing practice to abbreviate this information
as much as possible and whilst in the case of a large firm in a small town the name of the town
may well be sufficient for correspondence to be delivered, the use of the name London,
44