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Food Complaints—Foreign Bodies in Food.
Fifty-eight complaints relating to alleged unsound food were received and
investigated. Whilst several of the items of food complained of were found to
be sound, a number of complaints related to bread delivered in a dirty condition
and 10 complaints concerned bread containing foreign bodies such as weevils, wire,
a fly, a cigarette end, mildew, glass, wood and mice dirt. Other complaints related
to: dirt in cheese; a cigarette end in a doughnut; a nail in a meat pie; glass in
jam; dirt in ice cream; dirt and glass in milk; a metal tack in cake, and also in
a biscuit, a nail in butter; a maggot in teacake; and mould in a pork pie (two
cases).
In a number of these complaints there was insufficient evidence available to
ensure a prosecution in the courts, and those responsible for the food were warned.
Various suggestions for bringing about improvements in the preparation of the
food in the offending kitchen were made where necessary.
I am pleased to report that the several complaints received of glass in milk
bottles during 1950 were not repeated during the year under review. Most of these
complaints concerned milk supplied by one of the large dairy companies, suggested
alterations to the plant having apparently remedied this matter.
Meat Supply.
Meat inspection has once again been carried out on a very large scale at the
Plumstead Abattoir. Since the end of the war there has been a marked increase
in the number of animals inspected by officers of the Council at this abattoir. Compared
with the year 1948, 23,095 more carcases were inspected in 1951, the total
kill for the year amounting to 58,710. This figure includes an increase on the
previous year of 13,220 in the number of pigs slaughtered. There is also an increase
of 6,386 over the previous year in the number of cattle killed, but fewer sheep and
lambs were slaughtered during 1951. The following table gives details of the number
of animals slaughtered during the year:—