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29
Ice Cream.
Ice cream manufacturers, vendors and premises are required to be
registered by the Council under Section 158 of the Essex County Council
Act, 1933, which was adopted by the Council by resolution on 20th
February, 1934.
During the year 23 applications for registration as vendors and 18
applications for registration of premises for the storage and sale of
ice cream were granted.
At the end of the year, 16 persons and premises were registered
for manufacture and 248 for the storage and/or sale of ice cream.
Our sampling was decreased from 153 last year to 135 this year.
131 proved satisfactory.
As you are aware you took an unfavourable view of the lowering
of lee Cream standards which The Food Standards (Ice Cream) (Amendment)
Order, 1952, made possible.
lee Cream may or may not be deemed generally to be a food but
if its food value is regarded as important then it could be argued that
the standard ought to be maintained even at the expense of the possible
drop in the amount made available. Nowadays it seems a great pity
that any standard which provides for the better nutrition of the public
should be lowered even although it is in an article which by common
consent could be regarded as being popular for reasons other than its
food value.
Bacteriologically it will be noted from the samples taken that our
results were in general satisfactory and our locally produced ice cream
in this regard was fully up to standard. Where you get a pre-packed
article there is no doubt but that the bacteriological quality maintains
a more satisfactory level with far less difficulty and there is no doubt
that in this connection our nationally distributing firms maintain a
high standard for which a considerable amount of credit is due.
When one is dealing with a loose article then no matter how carefully
attention is paid to cleanliness of servers and the like, there is
clearly a greater danger of contamination and this can arise of course
not only from the servers and from contamination of the ice cream in
the container, but also from handling of the container in which the ice
cream is sold to the consumer. The amount of handling or contamination
introduced by a retail purchaser of the article he has purchased
is largely a matter for his own judgment or lack of it. The vendor is
under an obligation, which in our experience he usually implements
very reasonably, to ensure that such ice cream as leaves his care is
fit for consumption.
Preserved Food Manufacturers.
Section 90 of the Hornchurch Urban District Council Act, 1936,
requires registration of preserved food manufacturers and premises.
At the end of the year, 53 persons and premises were registered for the
manufacture of preserved meat (sausages).