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THE HEALTH OF BARKING
MEAT AND OTHER FOODS.
Meat. During the year the large depot which was used for the distribution
of meat to the County Boroughs of East Ham and West Ham and the Boroughs of
Barking and Poplar, ceased to operate as No. 3 Meat Depot upon its return to
Smithfield Market.
Throughout the period of its operation in Barking, our relations with the
management were good and it was our experience that the conduct of the Depot
was in every way satisfactory.
Unsound Food. The conservation of food continued to be of the greatest
importance and any condemnation which was made was only after searching
examination. In Appendix F a table is given which sets out the total quantity of
food condemned and which can be taken to represent the total for the Borough,
because it has become the established practice for all food unfit for human consumption
to be dealt with by the Department.
FOOD POISONING.
Only two cases of food poisoning were notified during the year.
FOOD AND DRUGS ACT, 1938—SAMPLING.
During the year, your authorised officers have submitted a total of 355 samples
for examination. Details of these samples are given in Appendix F in tabular
form.
The Public Analyst was asked to comment upon the quality of ice cream
retailed in the Borough and has stated that a considerable improvement has been
noted in fat content, although only approximately one half of the samples submitted
were found to contain more than 8 per cent, of fat, the amount which he regards
as being the minimum fat content proper to ice cream.
He irther states that all samples of ice cream were submitted to bacteriological
examine.-'on for both the number of total colonies or organisms in one gramme of
the sample, and, additionally and more particularly, for the number of B. Coli
organisms, because, in his opinion, B. Coli organisms are invariably associated with
unclean conditions and, therefore, the presence of such organisms is a useful
indicator of the cleanliness of the preparation. The standard which has been
adopted by the Analyst for judging the results of bacteriological examination is one
which was prescribed before the war for certain graded milks, namely, that B. Coli
should be absent in 0.01 gramme.
The Analyst continues by stating that, whilst in view of the present world
shortage of fats, there may be some justification for not making an official standard
for fat content, nevertheless he can see no reason why a standard for cleanliness
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