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Food and Drugs Sampling.
Food and Drugs Authority and Sampling Officers.
The Council is the food and drugs authority for the district and your
Sanitary Inspectors are authorised under the Food and Drugs Act, 1938,
to procure and purchase samples of food and drugs for chemical analysis
or for bacteriological, or other, examination.
Public Analyst.
Dr. J. H. Hamence, F.R.I.C., and Mr. George Taylor, F.R.I.C.,
20, Eastcheap, London, E.C.3, continued to act as Public Analysts for the
area.
Samples Submitted for Chemical Analysis.
During the period 1st January to 31st December, some 267 samples of
Food and Drugs were procured by the Sanitary Inspectors for submission
to the Public Analyst for chemical analysis. It will be seen from the tabular
statement which follows that a wide variety of commodities was sampled,
and that in 36 instances adverse reports were received of which 23 concerned
citrus fruits. The circumstances relating to these samples were fully reported
to the Public Health Committee and are summarised hereunder.
Insects in Cough Mixture (Syrup of Calcidrine).
In January, 1954 a complainant brought a 4 oz. bottle of cough medicine
alleged to contain foreign matter which made it unfit for human consumption.
Upon examination the mixture was found to contain two dead insects—
a small fly and a wasp. Subsequent enquiries revealed that this medicine
(as prescribed by the doctor) was a proprietary brand of Syrup Calcidrine.
The cough mixture was submitted to the Public Analyst and subsequently
representations were made to the Executive Council for Essex.
Cheese Spread.
In March a complaint was received concerning a carton of pre-packed
branded cheese which was alleged to contain fragments of glass. The cheese
was submitted to the Public Analyst who reported that the crystals were
formed of Sodium Phosphate and were not glass, indicating that the goods
were out of condition. A warning letter was sent to the retailer.
Pork Sausages (2).
The Meat Products (No. 3) Order, 1952, prescribes the minimum
meat content for sausages:—
"The prescribed minimum meat content for pork sausages, beef
sausages and sausage meat remains as follows:—
Uncooked Pork Sausage and Sausage meat, including Pork slicingsausage
65 per cent. (of which not less than 80 per cent. shall be
pork).
This Order was revoked in March, 1953, and its provisions are no longer
enforceable.