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(c) Ice Cream
There are two manufacturers and one hundred and eighty distributors of ice
cream registered in the Borough, from whom one hundred and fifteen samples were
taken during the year for bacteriological examination. Four samples were taken
for chemical analysis to check the fat content of the ice cream.
The results of these examinations are given in Tables 13 and 14.
Tables 15 and 16 give the results of the examination of thirty-six samples of
lollies taken during the year.
(d) Milk Supplies
A great deal of work has gone on in the field of dairy farming and the dairy industry
generally to make milk bacteriologically safe. The work of building up
disease free herds of dairy cattle is a task that has been going on for years and
the results are now apparent.
All milk sold in this area is either T.T., Sterilised or Pasteurised, i.e. subjected
to heat treatment. Samples are taken regularly to ensure that pasteurisation
i® properly carried out. This is done by submitting the samples to what is known
as the "phosphatase test". Sterilised milk is checked by submitting it to a "turbidity
test*.
Samples are also submitted to a "methylene blue test" to check on the bacterial
purity of the milk.
Table 17 gives details of the samples of milk submitted to the bacteriological
laboratory.
(e) Food sampling
Samples of all types of food are regularly obtained for two purposes. Firstly
to ensure that it contains no harmful organisms and secondly to ensure that it is
a genuine article with no adulteration or dangerous chemicals. Samples taken are
listed in Table 18.
Certain chemicals may be added in prescribed amounts to some foods to imp
rove keeping quality, but where this is done a declaration must be made to this
effect either on the wrapper containing the article, or conspicuously in the shop
where it is sold. It will be seen in Table 19 that in two samples 3, preservative was
found in excess of the legal limit and in three cases, no declaration was made although
the amount was within the legal limit.
In one sample of hamburger and one sample of pork sausage, the meat content
was considered to be too low and in one sample of pork chipolata sausages, the
meat content included an excessive amount of fat. No legal standard exists for the
meat content of these foods, despite requests for one to be laid down.
In the case of sausages, however, there is a generally accepted standard of
50% meat for beef sausages and 65% for pork sausages which has been recognised
in the Courts.
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