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
Hackney 1953
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Hackney]
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57
Regulations made thereunder are dealt with by officers of the Public Health
Department. Considerable attention is paid to street trading in food, and
the stalls are visited at very frequent intervals by the food inspectors;
storage accommodation used in connection with these stalls is visited every
three months.
The following table shows the position of street traders selling foodstuffs as at December 31st.
| Foodstuffs sold | Place of trading | Total No. of stalls | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ridley Road | Chatsworth Road | Well Street | Kingsland Road | Broadway | Miscell. streets | ||
| Fruit and vegetables | 60 | 33 | 19 | 8 | 22 | 9 | 151 |
| Pish (wet, dry and shell) | 10 | 5 | 7 | 2 | 7 | 5 | 36 |
| Meat and poultry | 9 | 2 | 1 | - | 6 | - | 18 |
| Grocery and provisions | 6 | 5 | 3 | _ | 5 | _ | 19 |
| Sweets and Ice Cream | - | - | - | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 |
| Soft drinks | - | - | - | 2 | - | - | 2 |
| Cakes and biscuits | 1 | 1 | - | - | 1 | - | 3 |
| Refreshments (from Coffee stall) | 1 | _ | - | 1 | - | 4 | 6 |
| "Apple fritters" | 1 | - | - | 1 | - | - | 2 |
| Total | 88 | 46 | 30 | 16 | 43 | 19 | 242 |
In addition to licensed pitches there are scattered throughout the
Borough stalls selling foodstuffs on odd sites not controlled by the Council
and these also are regularly inspected by officers of this department.
SECTION 3. (Prohibition against sale of any food or drug not of the nature
substance or quality demanded.)
(a) COMPLAINTS, Forty-seven complaints of foreign bodies in various
types of foodstuffs were received; all were fully investigated, written
explanations requested from the vendors, and in eighteen instances warning
letters were sent.
(b) ADULTERATION Following the receipt of adverse reports from the
Public Analyst on samples taken by the food inspectors, legal action under
this section was taken in the following six cases:-
Offence
Result of proceedings
Selling beef sausages not of the
substance demanded in that they
were deficient in meat.
Defendant pleaded warranty,
summons dismissed, no costs.
Selling beef sausages not of the
substance demanded in that they
were deficient in meat.
Defendant pleaded warranty,
summons dismissed, no costs.
Selling beef sausages not of the
substance demanded in that they
were deficient in meat.
Defendant granted an absolute
discharge on payment of
£7 7s. Od. costs.
Selling beef sausages not of the
substance demanded in that they
were deficient in meat.
Defendant granted an absolute
discharge on payment of
£12 12s. Od, costs.