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32
SLAUGHTERHOUSE
There is one private slaughterhouse licensed in the Borough. This was closed during the 1939-45
War and re-opened in 1952. Particulars of inspections, carcases inspected and condemned are shown in
Table 39.
THE LIQUID EGG (PASTEURISATION) REGULATIONS, 1963
There is no plant engaged in the pasteurisation of liquid egg in the Borough, but local use of this
product is high owing to the presence of a large biscuit and cake manufacturer. In fifteen bakeries, large and
small, the annual consumption is some fifteen hundred tons, of which only two tons are imported.
Twenty-four samples submitted to the Alpha-Amylase test were found to be satisfactory, and
inspections of confectionery bakehouses revealed no use of bulk egg from unauthorised sources.
CONTAMINATED FOOD
Sixty-one complaints about contaminated food were made to the Department. They referred to
dirt in bottles of milk (9); foreign objects in canned goods (9), in bread (8), in sweets (3), in biscuits (2),
in bacon (2), in soft drinks (2), in sausages (2), in cheese, yoghurt, butter, fruit pie, honey, and medicine;
mould growth in bread (9), pies (2), canned goods (2), and in chocolate rolls, apple strudel, sausages, cheese,
and yoghurt.
A further eighteen complaints were of food alleged to be unsound for some other reason, and six
other complaints were considered to be not justified.
Of the seventy-nine cases, in only forty-five was the evidence sufficient to warrant formal action,
and of these, two were referred to other authorities. The Council resolved to send warning letters to thirty-six
vendors or manufacturers, to prosecute in four instances and to take no action in the remaining three cases.
Proceedings were frustrated in one case by the disappearance of the complainant, two had not been heard
by the end of the year, the results of the other case, and of three held over from 1965 were: —
(a) Broken glass in medicine—absolute discharge £10 10s. 0d. costs
(b) Dirty bottle of milk—fined £5 0s. 0d. £3 3s. 0d. costs
(c) Dirty bottle of milk—fined £25 0s. 0d. £10 10s. 0d. costs
(d) Fly in soft drink—fined £25 0s. 0d. £5 0s. 0d. costs
SAMPLING OF FOOD AND DRUGS
Composition of Food.
The Council became a food and drugs authority on 1st April, 1965 and by the provision of the
Food and Drugs Act 1955, the medical officer of health and the public health inspectors are by virtue of
their appointments, authorised officers for the purposes of the Act, including the procuring of samples. The
former County Analyst was appointed Public Analyst to the London Borough of Brent.
Marking and Labelling of Food.
Whilst it is not at present a requirement at law to identify by a label the type or variety of an open
food, any misdirection can be a contravention of the Food and Drugs Act. Certain packeted or canned
food must, however, by the Labelling of Food Order, 1953 bear a name of the food, its ingredients, and
the name and address of the packer or a registered trade mark. Again, some imported foods must, when
exposed for sale, carry an indication of their origin in accordance with the Merchandise Marks Acts and Orders
made thereunder.
Visits of inspection for the general purpose of checking the accuracy of marking and labelling food
exposed for sale, carry an indication of their origin in a and first warning given in 158 instances.
Of 979 samples taken, 358 were submitted to the Public Health Laboratory for bacteriological
examination, 585 to the Public Analyst (49 taken formally) and 36 were examined in the Department.
(Table 40.)
Of the 31 adverse reports, 7 related to the presence of foreign matter, and 3 to preservatives. In 5
instances there was some inadequacy in the labelling and in the remainder a questionable description had
been applied to the food. In only two cases was it thought appropriate to prosecute and these resulted in
fines of £5 0s. Od. and £10 10s. Od. costs in both instances.
MILK AND DAIRIES REGULATIONS
The Borough is a specified area in which it is permissible only to sell milk to which a special
designation is applied, i.e. Pasteurised, Sterilised, Ultra-heat treated or Untreated. Assuming that the consumption
of milk in the Borough conforms to the national average, some 214,000 pints of milk are sold daily.
The amount of untreated (Kedassia) milk is less than 12 pints per day.
Only one pasteurising/bottling plant is in operation in the district, but there are 242 persons registered
as distributors, all being licensed as dealers in pre-packed milk to which the special designations apply.
Samples of milk were submitted for bacteriological examination and compositional analysis, with the
results shown in Tables 40 and 41, and tests were also made to check the efficiency of the bottle-washing
machines at the one processing dairy. (Table 41.)