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The total number of samples taken was slightly lower than during the prev
ious year and the number of unsatisfactory samples was also lower The results
obtained from the sampling by Middlesex County Council suggest a reasonably
satisfactory standard of food sales within this borough, though that must be
qualified slightly in respect of the low figure of samples taken The details
of the unsatisfactory samples follow, and show that though technical offences
had been committed, the foods themselves were sound and fit for consumption.
The following are the details from the Chief Officer's report on the 4
unsatisfactory samples and the action taken:-
Milk
Only one sample of milk was found to be unsatisfactory and this was a matter
of glass splinters in a bottle of milk The presence of the glass was drawn to
the attention of the dairy company which had bottled the milk but the evidence
as to when the glass had entered the milk was not reliable beyond dispute, and
accordingly no further action could be taken in the matter.
Cheese
The labelling of two samples of imported cheese was objected to the substance
of the fault in each case being a declaration of fat content which, in
fact, was correct on the basis of calculation on the dry solids, but in each
case it was expressed in such a way as likely to be understood as a percentage
of the whole cheese, Complaints were made to the importers and the markings
were corrected
Fruit
A fruiterer was prosecuted for selling Giant Prunes as Victoria plums and
fined £5 He was also fined £5 for falsely describing the plums by label as
"Victorias"
Merchandise Marks Acts, 1887-1953
In pursuance of their duty as officers of the food and drugs authority,
officersofmy Department made 160 inspections of shops in the Borough to ensure
that the Marking Orders relating to certain imported foodstuffs made under the
Merchandise Marks Act, 1926, were complied with 873 separate displays of meat
apples, tomatoes, poultry, dried fruit and butter were examined, A firm of
butchers was prosecuted in respect of each of two sales of Argentine beef not
marked with an indication of origin, The firm was fined £4 and ordered to pay
3 guineas costs Otherwise, no serious infringement was disclosed, verbal
cautions being given in respect of such minor infringements as were detected
Ihe Labelling of Food Order, 1953
At 105 premises 582 articles of pre-packed food were examined to ensure
that they bore a label which gave a clear statement of the designation of the
food and in the case of compound foods, the ingredients, and also the name and
address of the packer or labeller, No major infringements of this Order were
discovered, minor errors of labelling were considered and dealt with.
False or Misleading Descriptions
As in previous years a considerable amount of work has been done in the
detailed scrutiny of advertisements and the labels on pre-packed foods, Where
a label or advertisement contains a false or misleading description of the food
to which it relates the action taken to correct the matter is of benefit to the
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