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and general supplies and services.
Some years ago the Ministry of Health recommended that the level of food and drugs
sampling should be approximately three samples per 1,000 population per annum. During
the year, exactly 800 samples comprising 14 formal and 786 informal samples of food and
drugs were taken and submitted to the Public Analyst for examination, which is in
accordance with the Ministry recommendation.
Of the 800 samples examined, 40 were found to be unsatisfactory. There were several
cases which are worthy of mention, where compositional standards and other similar
requirements were below the specified minima.
Samples of coffee concentrate and cooking oil which are sold in pressurised
containers, were found to contain lead considerably in excess of the legal maximum of 2
parts per million. The packers of the coffee concentrate are to determine the lead
content after flushing with nitrogen before pressurising and a period of storage.
Production of the oil which was used as a non-stick frying aid, was discontinued.
The Soft Drinks Regulations prescribe a minimum of 57 parts per million of quinine
sulphate B.P. to be contained in tonic water. Sunlight tends to decompose quinine;
therefore manufacturers should not allow stocks to become outdated. A sample of tonic
water had a low quinine content due to decomposition and it was shown to be over a year
old.
LABELLING OP POOD ORDER

BACTERIOLOGICAL EXAMINATION OP OTHER POODS
In addition to the bacteriological examination of particular types of foods referred
to in earlier paragraphs of this report 83 samples of frozen seafoods of a wide variety
were submitted to the laboratory. The samples were from consignments imported into the
borough and released from the Port of London without examination. One consignment which
was contaminated with Salmonella Welterreden was not released for sale.
Articles of food which were the subject of consumer complaints numbered 4 but no
harmful organisms were found on examination.
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