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55
but they do not appear to open the door to the Council to renew its
application to become such an authority.
The following information has been taken from the Annual Report
of the Chief Officer of the Public Control Department of the Middlesex
County Council for the year 1st April, 1955, to the 31st March, 1956:
The 9,380 samples procured during the year yielded 620 incorrect
samples, much the same proportion as in the previous year. 1,593
samples were examined by the public analyst. Of the 590 samples of
milk, 66 were incorrect; of the 936 samples of food other than milk 127,
and one of the 67 miscellaneous drugs. 7,787 samples were examined
or tested by officers of the Public Control Department. 334 of the
3,266 samples of milk were incorrect, 89 of the 4,091 samples of food
other than milk, and three of the 430 samples of drugs.
The degree of watering of milk was found to be very small, such
as there was being found to occur at the farm rather than at the premises
of wholesale and retail dairymen. Most of the farmers milk delivered
into the county is received in 24 collecting depots. During the year
three farmers were found to be supplying watered milk. The attention
given last year by the sampling officers to the sale of hot milk in restaurants
and cafes appears to have borne fruit as in the current year there were
only three prosecutions for watered milk compared with 7, 6 and 19
for the previous years. Only five samples of liver out of the Unpurchased
were unsatisfactory (pigs liver being passed off as that of lambs), one of
the 47 samples of wines and spirits, three of 48 purchases of plums and
about four per cent, of the 5,027 samples of food other than milk. The
only offence in which there was no decline was that in passing off one
variety of fish for another. Out of a total of 497 samples of drugs
procured, only four were found to be unsatisfactory.
Milk receives special attention with two objects: examination for
the presence of tubercle bacillus, and the supervision of plants for
pasteurising and sterilising milk and the testing of milk to ensure that it
has been adequately heated. Three of the 384 samples of milk contained
tubercle bacilli; the infected cows were slaughtered. Only seven of the
1,539 samples of heat treated milk failed to pass the prescribed tests, a
ratio of something under 0-5 per cent.
Since October 1955 Middlesex has been an area in which only
special designated milk may be sold by retailers, namely tuberculin tested,
pasteurised and sterilised milk. The pasteurising and sterilising plants
are all subject to licence by the County Council and to inspection by the
rood and Drugs Inspectors.
(E) HYGIENE OF FOOD
, The campaign for clean food in this last year followed on much
he same lines as that in the previous year. The Public Health Inspectors
continued to devote special attention to the premises at which food is
?a t with and to the techniques of those engaged in the work at these
L1®' The educational side of this campaign has expanded. Some
talks were given this last year to traders and to local organisations,
a"d 42 talks at schools.