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29
CONTAMINATED AND UNSOUND FOODS
One hundred and twenty complaints about foodstuffs were received from members of the public
(Table 39). They alleged souring or decomposition, mouldiness, or the presence of dirt or foreign bodies
including insects. Nine of these complaints, although made in good faith, were found on professional examination
of the foods to be not justified; four were referred to other local authorities for attention; and it was
decided to take no action in 32 others. Of the remaining 75 cases, the Council decided to send 57 warning
letters and to prosecute in 18 cases.
The results of the prosecutions heard were: —
(1) Foreign matter in loaf of bread—fined £25. £5.5.0 costs.
(2) Insect in bread roll—fined £10. £5.5.0 costs.
(3) Plaster fibres in loaf of bread—fined £20. £6.6.0 costs.
(4) Mouldy loaf—Owner left district, case not proceeded with.
(5) Unsound fish—fined £25. £15 costs.
The remaining 13 were carried over to 1970.
SAMPLING OF FOOD AND DRUGS
The Council became a food and drugs Authority on 1st April, 1965, and by the provisions 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.
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 misdescription can be a contravention of the Food and Drugs Act. Certain packeted or
canned foods must, however, by the Labelling of Food Order, 1953 and Labelling of Food Regulations, 1967
bear the 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.
Five hundred and sixty-one visits of inspection for the general purpose of checking the accuracy of
marking and labelling food exposed for sale were made, and first warnings were given in 12 instances.
Composition of Food
Of 635 samples taken, 91 were submitted to the Public Health Laboratory for bacteriological examination,
413 to the Public Analyst (11 taken formally), and 131 were examined in the Department (Table 40).
With regard to the labelling contraventions, undertakings were received to amend all four labels.
Of the samples adversely reported upon as to composition, four resulted in the local stock being
returned to wholesalers, in three cases new recipes were adopted by the manufacturers, one led to prosecution,
and warnings were given in the remaining 19 cases.
The prosecution resulted in the defendants being fined £10 for failing to label canned food correctly,
and the Council being awarded £6.6.0 costs.
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 are sold daily. The amount of
untreated (Kedassia) milk is less than 12 pints per day.
There is no bottling plant in the Borough, but there are 272 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 Table 41.
REGISTRATION OF HAWKERS
Hawkers of food, and premises used by them for storage accommodation, must be registered with
the Council (Section 11 of the Middlesex County Council Act, 1950).
One hundred and eleven hawkers are on the current register (38 selling fruit and vegetables, 33 mobile
canteens and hot dog vendors, 22 selling ice-cream, six fish, two cooked poultry, two groceries, six fish and
chips, one bread and confectionery and one selling milk drinks). Twelve were newly registered during the
year and one discontinued trading.
Some hawkers are also licensed street traders at fixed sites, but the majority are itinerant, many
appearing in the Borough only when events of national or international importance take place at Wembley
Stadium. At such times there is also an influx of unregistered hawkers, and reference has already been made
on this page to prosecutions for lapses in food hygiene in this connection. Many more cases would have been
taken but for misleading information being given by individuals as to their names and addresses. In a number
of cases, addresses were found on subsequent enquiry to be false and in other instances the court officers
were unable to serve summonses.