View report page

The 72 dairies and distributors who are registered with this
Council have all been granted Dealers (Pre-Packed) Licences.
Sampling
During the year 137 samples of milk were taken for bacteriological
examination. Of these, 3 failed the Methylene Blue Test
for keeping quality. Two further samples were void when they
reached the laboratory and were obviously not included in the tests.
Of the unsatisfactory samples two were from automatic vending
machines, the fault being traced to the cooling element. The third
sample was obtained from a small distributor, it was found that
stock rotation was the cause of this poor sample. The matters were
taken up with the persons responsible and improvement effected.
Eighteen samples of milk were submitted for chemical analysis
and all proved to be satisfactory.
(ii) Ice Cream
The manufacture and sale of ice cream is governed by the Food
and Drugs Act and various Orders and Regulations made thereunder.
Prevision is also made under the various Acts for the registration
of manufacturers and vendors of ice cream. In this borough
registration is made under the Romford Urban District Council
Act, 1931, as this Act provides for the registration of the person
as well as the premises, whereas the Food and Drugs Act, 1955,
only provides for the registration of premises. By using the local
Act, the local authority have control over the itinerant vendor which
is not previded for under the National Act.
The ice cream trade has passed through many phases, and
during the last few years it had reached the stage where practically
90 per cent. of the ice cream was sold pre-packed and frozen hard.
A recent development has been the sale of "soft" ice cream.
This is an ice cream that has been made in the factory, put into
hermetically sealed containers, and stored in a cold place. When
required, this mix is fed into a freezer and served direct as a loose
ice crean. The public seem to prefer this softer ice cream to the
factory made pre-packed type that has undergone a hardening
process.
The sales of this new type of ice cream was at first confined to
shops, but vans are now equipped with motor driven freezers for
page 55