London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Hillingdon 1966
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Hillingdon]
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Environmental Health
93
examination by the Public Analyst. During the year 19 such articles were referred in this way. The total number of food complaints received during the year was 135. The foods involved were:—
| Number of Complaints | Number of Complaints | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unsound | Foreign Bodies | Unsound | Foreign Bodies | ||
| Description of Article | Description of Article | ||||
| Beer | — | 1 | Fresh Meat | 5 | 1 |
| Bread | 6 | 23 | Fresh Vegetables | 2 | 1 |
| Butter | 1 | 1 | Ice Cream | — | 1 |
| Canned Fruit | 6 | 4 | Jam | 1 | 4 |
| Canned Meals | — | 1 | Milk | — | 12 |
| Canned Vegetables | 1 | 1 | Other foods | 1 | 3 |
| Cereals | 1 | 2 | Pasta | — | 1 |
| Cheese | 1 | 2 | Poultry | 2 | — |
| Cooked canned meat pies | 14 | 5 | Sausages and Sausage meat | 2 | 2 |
| Dried Fruit | — | 1 | Soup | 1 | — |
| Eggs | 1 | — | Spirits | 1 (adulterated) | |
| Fish and Fish products | 1 | 2 | Sugar Sweet confectionery | — | 2 |
| Flavoured drinks | 1 | — | Vinegar | 1 | — |
| Flour confectionery | 6 | 9 | Yoghourt | 1 | — |
Foreign Bodies
Bakery products remained the largest source of complaints of foreign bodies which included a
1 inch nail, rusty metal, glass, carbonised dough, paper, matchsticks, wasps and flies and contamination
by bird droppings. Dirty milk bottles were another major cause for complaint and it was emphasised
to all companies concerned that staff difficulties in carrying out visual inspection could not be accepted
as mitigation, and the use of returnable containers meant that an effective inspection system was
essential at all times. The new electronic scanning apparatus would appear to present an efficient but
expensive answer to this problem, and, failing this, bottling speeds should be maintained at a rate
which would allow for adequate visual inspection. The use of a non-returnable container is the only
really effective solution to the problem, although the public could make a large contribution by returning
clean bottles and preventing misuse.
A complaint of a bandage in a bacon joint was found on investigation to be the remains of a salt
bag. A complaint of ice cream contaminated by petrol was found to be due to a leaking refrigerant
plate. Other complaints included sausages affected with dye from a marking stamp, fish and fish products
affected by filaria bicolor, wire and cotton-wool in baked beans, and cats' urine on vegetables.
Lettuces were found to be contaminated with a fungicide, Thiuran Disulphide. This fungicide is
normally washed to the roots of the lettuce when the plants are watered and the complaint arose due to
the fact that watering had not been carried out and some of the fungicide dusted around the plants had
remained on the plants themselves. All affected lettuces were immediately withdrawn from sale.
Unsound Food
The chief cause for unsound food complaints was faulty stock rotation, and retailers still do not
appreciate the need for careful rotation of stock supported by an effective code system of their own.
As a result of food complaints, five prosecutions were taken under the Food and Drugs Act, 1955, and
one under the Milk and Dairies (General) Regulations, 1959. Convictions were obtained in each case.