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to the Laboratory for grading by the Methylene Blue Test. The
results of the tests indicated that eleven of the samples were in
Grade I and one in Grade II.
UNSOUND FOOD - COMPLAINTS
Some 50 complaints of alleged unsound food were brought to
the direct notice of the Health Department during the year by
members of the public who had purchased the food from local shops.
All the complaints were fully investigated and a great deal of time
was spent by the Food Inspectors to ensure that all justified
complaints were carefully looked into, and to see that any defects
at the food premises or bad practices by food handlers were
rectified.
Legal proceedings were taken by the Council during the year
in respect of the following offences: Glass in Milk (two complaints)
- the firm was fined £5 in each case, with £5.5.0d. costs; Cheese
contaminated by tobacco - firm fined £2 and £2.2.0d. costs. The
Manager of the same shop was fined £2.2.0d. for permitting refuse
to accumulate in a food room, the Council's Food Inspector having
reported that he saw cigarette ends and other sweepings on the floor
of the food preparation room.
Among other serious offences dealt with during the year
was that of metal in a mincemeat pie which was found whilst the
complainant was eating the pie. The manufacturers explained that
a metal tray was discovered by them in the Pie Department and one
of the reinforcing rims had broken away from the main rim and had
been soldered by a member of the staff. This rim had then broken
off. A further complaint concerned wire in a bread roll. It
appeared that the wire had its origin in a wire brush, but no such
bush had been discovered by the bakers. With regard to a complaint
of a safety pin in cake. the complainant had found an open safety
pin sticking out of the cake which she was about to eat. Fortunately
no one suffered injury. The bakers explained that they had no idea
where the pin could have come from and that protective clothing worn
by the workers in the bakehouse was specially made without pockets.
When some canvas sacking was found in bread crust, this canvas was
said by the bakers to be part of one of the dough proving bags
used in the bakery. Warning letters were sent to the manufacturers
in all the above cases, and also in respect of complaints of wood in
a jar of cherry jam, wood in breads, and glass in lemon curd.
Other complaints investigated included mould on a bread roll,
oil or other stains in bread (five cases), foreign matter in bread
(three cases), pin in bread, unfit pies (-three cases), maggots in
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