London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Ealing 1965
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Ealing]
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The preponderance of the unsatisfactory samples was from soft ice cream dispensing
machines. These machines are complicated pieces of equipment requiring very
careful cleaning and sterilising at the end of each day, and the need for great care in
operating them was not always appreciated by those responsible. Repeated visits
by inspectors were made whenever necessary in order to investigate unsatisfactory
results and to educate operators in methods of sterilization. Further sampling
produced more satisfactory results in most cases.
IMITATION CREAM
Imitation cream is produced by emulsifying edible oils or fats with water, and is
used largely in the confectionery trade. There are two manufacturers of this product
in the Borough. During the year, 80 samples were taken for bacteriological examination,
and all were satisfactory except one. The standards and quality maintained
by the two producers at their premises were extremely high.
91
intervals throughout the year to ensure compliance with the requirements of the Food Hygiene and the Ice Cream (Heat Treatment) Regulations. Sampling of ice cream and of ice lollies was also carried out systematically and details of samples taken and results of examination are given below.
| Commodity | Number of samples | Methylene Blue Grade | Not graded | Grades I and II satisfactory | Grade III doubtful | Grade IV unsatisfactory | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | II | III | IV | ||||||
| Ice cream (local manufacturers) | 232 | 205 | 21 | 3 | 3 | — | 226 | 3 | 3 |
| Ice cream (other manufacturers) | 64 | 25 | 14 | 5 | 20 | — | 39 | 5 | 20 |
| Ice lollies (local manufacturers) | 38 | — | — | — | — | 38 | 37 | — | 1 |
| Ice lollies (other manufacturers) | 10 | — | — | — | — | 10 | 10 | — | — |
| Totals | 344 | 230 | 35 | 8 | 23 | 48 | 312 | 8 | 24 |
| The above table includes: | |||||||||
| Ice cream samples from vans | 11 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 2 | — | 8 | 1 | 2 |
| Soft ice cream samples | 28 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 13 | — | 12 | 3 | 13 |