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12
Food unfit for human consumption
One ton, 11 cwt., 2,034 tins, 1,388 packets of food inspected by the Public Health Inspectors were
found to be unfit for human consumption (Table 40). All the food was dealt with as trade refuse by the
Borough Engineer's Department and deposited on the controlled refuse tip.
The proprietors of a grocery shop were prosecuted under section 8 of the Food and Drugs Act,
1955, and fined £10 with £5 5s. 0d. costs for exposing for sale chocolate cakes which were unfit for human
consumption.
Contaminated food
18 specimens of contaminated food were dealt with by the department. They included mould in
a cream cake, a piece of egg and pork pie, and chocolate cakes; a piece of cloth in a sausage; maggots in
chocolate covered cakes; a nail in a loaf of bread ; and foreign matter in a loaf of bread and milk bottles.
No action was taken in 7 cases because of insufficient evidence; of the remaining 11, 9 firms were
cautioned and the Council decided to prosecute the other two. In one case, however, proceedings were not
taken because the complainant was uncertain of the date when the offence occurred. In the other case the
firm was fined £10 with £5 5s. 0d. costs for selling mouldy chocolate cakes.
Clean food sampling
The Middlesex County Council is responsible for taking samples and for supervising the control
of food adulteration in accordance with the provisions of the Food and Drugs Act, 1955; the administration
of the Emulsifiers and Stabilisers in Food Regulations, 1962; the Preservatives in Food Regulations, 1962;
the Merchandise Marks Acts, 1887-1953; and the Labelling of Food Order, 1953.
The Chief Officer of the Public Control Department has supplied details of his Department's work
in previous years, but asked to be excused from doing so on this occasion because of pressure of administrative
work due to the Weights and Measures Act, 1963, and the transfer of functions under the London
Government Act.
Milk and Dairies Regulations
Milk sales are regulated by the Food and Drugs Act, 1955, the Milk and Dairies (General) Regulations,
1959, and the Milk (Special Designation) Regulations, 1960.
Willesden has been a specified area since October, 1951: all milk sold by retail is sterilised,
pasteurised, or tuberculin tested; the sale of raw milk is prohibited.
The provisions of paragraph 6 of Part II of the Second Schedule to the Milk (Special Designation)
Regulations, 1960, restricted the bottling of milk to the three premises in the borough where the milk is
pasteurised. These Regulations transferred the issue of dealers' licences from the Borough Council to the
food and drugs authority for the area, the Middlesex County Council.
109 persons are registered by the Council to trade as distributors and three premises are registered
as dairies. Fifteen inspections were made of the three dairies; no defects were found.
Ill samples of milk were submitted for bacteriological examination (see Table 9).
One dirty milk bottle was reported by a member of the public, and one by another local authority.
The Council issued an official caution in respect of one and referred the other to the local authority in whose
district the milk was bottled.
FACTORY INSPECTION
There was a decrease of 27 in the total number of factories in the borough compared with the previous
year (Table 41).
The Council supervise sanitary conveniences in all factories and, in addition, cleanliness, overcrowding,
temperature, ventilation and drainage of floors in non-power factories. Details of inspections and
notices served, defects found and remedied, are given in Tables 41 and 42. One firm was prosecuted for failing
to maintain sufficient and suitable sanitary conveniences as required by section 7 of the Factories Act,
1961. They were fined £5 with £2 2s. 0d. costs.
Basement bakehouses
The local authority is responsible for the supervision of basement bakehouses under the Factories
Act, 1961. Basement bakehouse is defined as a bakehouse any baking room of which is so situated that the
surface of the floor is more than three feet below the surface of the footway of the adjoining street or of the
ground adjoining or nearest to the room. Any basement bakehouse which is not used for twelve months
cannot be used again.
Certificates of suitability are issued to the occupiers of basement bakehouses and have to be
reconsidered by the Council every five years. Provided the bakehouse is still suitable as regards construction,
height, light, ventilation and any hygienic respect, the certificate must be renewed. 6 certificates were
renewed in 1958. Since then one bakehouse has been demolished and four are no longer used. The
Council agreed to the renewal of the certificate in respect of the remaining bakehouse.
Outworkers and homeworkers
In February and August of each year factory owners send to the local authority lists of names and
addresses of all persons who have worked at home for them during the previous six months on certain jobs.
136 were employed during the year, the largest number, 88, altering and making clothing. Public Health Inspectors
inspected these workers' homes, which were all found to be satisfactory (Table 43).