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quantities. This certificate of fitness must not be confused with
the certificate of release, for technical purposes, of unsound foods
despatched to approved fat melters and fertiliser makers, by
mutual arrangement between authorities.
An interesting point was raised by the defence in a prosecution
for selling from a street stall an unlabelled tin of milk which
was alleged to be unsound and unfit.
A person purchased the tin of milk late on a Saturday evening
and handed it to the Chief Sanitary Inspector on the following
Monday morning. As the tin was obviously unfit, it was then
submitted to a justice who condemned it and ordered it to be
destroyed. In case the blown condition was due to metallic
absorption, the tin was not opened before it was condemned by the
Justice, as it was intended to submit it to analysis to ascertain
precisely the extent of the metallic content.
Submitted by the defence:—
(a) That the Justice had no right to condemn tinned food without
seeing the food concerned.
(/.)) That the tin was not seen by the Chief Inspector or the Justice
until 36 hours after purchase, and that although the milk was
unsound on the Monday, it was not necessarily so at the time
of purchase on the Saturday evening.
Held by the Stipendiary:—
(a) That the Justice acted properly in condemning a badly blown
tin of food although it had not been opened.
(b) That tinned food must be dealt with by a Justice as soon as
practicable after purchase or seizure.
The case was dismissed but no order was made as to costs.
Disposal of condemned foodstuffs.
(1) Foodstuffs condemned within West Ham. The usual
procedure adopted by the sanitary inspector is set out as follows:—
(a) Meat. After seizure and condemnation by a justice or after
voluntary surrender of meat, the practice is to permit delivery to
a selected fat melter within the borough after treatment by colour,
paraffin, chloride of lime or heavy coal tar disinfectant, and to
supervise its breaking down to liquid fat and a residual meal.
(b) Fish. In this case the practice is for the owner of the fish to
deliver it to a fish meal factory situated in the Borough.
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