London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
View report page
Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Hackney 1955
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Hackney]
This page requires JavaScript
78
County Council (General Powers) Act, 1947, Street Trading licences are renewed
annually upon application of the holders thereof, and where such application is
for the renewal of the licence on its original terms the renewal is automatic
unless grounds are known to exist which call for a review of the conditions
prescribed thereon The Council may refuse to renew a licence or may vary
such licence upon renewal only where the applicant is, on account of misconduct
or for any other sufficient reason in their opinion unsuitable to hold such
licence on its original terms, The licences issued under the above Act are
for the purpose of regulating street trading which is supervised hy the Streets
Inspectors of the Department of the Borough Engineer and surveyor any offences
committed against the Food and Drugs Acts and the By-laws and Regulations made
thereunder are dealt with by officers of the Public Health Department Considerable
attention is paid to street trading in food Stalls are visited at
very frequent intervals by the food inspectors and storage accommodation used
in connection with these stalls is visited every three months
The following table shows details of licensed street traders engaged in the sale of food at 31st December
| Foodstuffs sold | Place of trading | Total number of stalls | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ridl ey Road | Chatsworth Ro ad | Well Street | Kings-I and Ro ad | Broadway | Garnham Street | Other Sites | ||
| Fruit and vegetables | 57 | 34 | 18 | 6 | 24 | 3 | 11 | 153 |
| Fish (Wet, dry and shell) | 10 | 5 | 7 | 1 | 6 | - | 4 | 33 |
| Meat and poul try | 10 | 1 | 2 | - | 6 | 1 | 1 | 21 |
| Grocery and provisions | 6 | 4 | 3 | - | 3 | - | - | 16 |
| Sweets and icecream | 2 | 3 | 1 | - | 2 | - | 2 | 10 |
| Soft drinks | - | - | - | 2 | - | - | 1 | 3 |
| Cakes and biscuits | 1 | 1 | 1 | - | 1 | - | - | 4 |
| Refreshments (Coffee stalls) | 1 | - | - | 1 | - | - | 4 | 0 |
| Apple fritters | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | 1 |
| Eggs | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | 1 |
| TOtals | 87 | 49 | 32 | 11 | 42 | 4 | 23 | 248 |
In addition to the above licensed pitches there are scattered throughout
the borough some eight stalls selling foodstuffs on odd sites not controlled by
the Council these also are regularly inspected by officers of the Department
SECTION 3 (Prohibition against sale of any food or drug not of the nature,
substance or quality demanded) Thirty-two complaints of foreign bodies in
various types of foodstuffs were received all were fully investigated;
written explanations requested from the vendors, and in fifteen instances
warning letters were sent No legal proceedings were taken
DEFENCE (SALE OP POOD) REGULATIONS 1943 The following Order relating
to food was made under these Regulations -
The Food Standards (Table Jellies) (Amendment) Order, 1955
This Order provides for the use of low setting gelatine and allows, as an
alternative to the present standard of 84 per cent, sugar content in jelly crystals,
a content of not less than oz, sugar per pint of prepared table sweet
SECTION 9 (Penalty for sale. &c, of unsound food) This section pro
vides that a person who sells, or offers, or exposes for sale,, or has in his
possession for the purpose of sale or of preparation for sale, or deposits with
or consigns to. any person for the purpose of sale or of preparation for sale,
any food intended for but unfit for human consumption, shall be guilty of an
offence No legal proceedings were taken under this section