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

View report page

Enfield 1966

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Enfield]

This page requires JavaScript

The Public Analyst reported that a tin of prawns should, in fact, have been
labelled shrimps. There are numerous distinct varieties of shrimps and prawns
which are indistinguishable when shelled and the packers described their product,
in correspondence, as a small variety of Pandalus borcalis, the deep water prawn.
The Analyst feels that size should be the only criterion and that the public is
misled when buying a product of this nature. Representations have been made to
the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food on this matter.
Objection was raised to the use, on the label and in television advertisements,
of the phrase " the chocolates with the less fattening centres Analyses of the
centres of a wide range of chocolate confections revealed that, on a weight for
weight comparison, approximately 66% of the other confectionery centres had a
lower calorific value. Taking the whole chocolates, bearing in mind that the
centres cannot be eaten separately, approximately 90% of the other chocolate confections
had a lower calorific value per gram than the product under investigation.
Counsel's opinion supported the Public Analyst's point of view and, following
further representations, the manufacturers have changed their advertising and
labelling.
All the milk samples proved satisfactory, the average analysis being:
Fat 3.64%
Solids not Fat 8.77%
The number of food complaints received was 98.

Following investigation, warning letters were sent in the majority of incidents but in 12 cases legal proceedings were instituted with the following results:

ComplaintFine ImposedCosts Awarded
Metal filings in a tin of coffee£25 0 0£ 5 5 0
Mouldy chocolate sponge cake£10 0 0£ 5 5 0
Cigarette end in Swiss roll£ 5 0 0£ 5 5 0
Foreign matter in loaf of bread£10 0 0£ 6 15 0
Hessian fibre in loaf of bread£10 0 0£10 10 0
Screw in loaf of bread£10 0 0£ 5 5 0
Rodent droppings in cake£ 5 0 0£ 5 5 0
Mouldy sponge cake£ 5 0 0£ 5 5 0
Sausage containing hook£ 5 0 0£ 5 5 0
Glass in tin of coffee£ 5 0 0£10 10 0
Mouldy pork pie£ 5 0 0£ 5 5 0
Insect in meat pie£10 0 0£10 10 0
£105 0 0£80 5 0