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 1966
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Hackney]
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69
MILK AND DAIRIES
There are no collecting centres, pasteurising or bottling plants within
the Borough, all milk being treated and bottled before delivery to distributors
in Hackney. The number of details of premises other than dairies registered
for the distribution of milk totalled 298.
Details of Dealers' licences for pre-packed milk issued under the Milk
(Special Designation) (Amendment) Regulations, 1965, were as follows:-
Ultra Heat Treated 59
Untreated 47
Pasteurised Milk 267
Sterilised Milk 279
Pasteurised milk is required to comply with the Phosphatase Test for
adequate heat treatment, and with the Methylene Blue Test for bacterial cleanliness.
Our milk sampling policy has been directed along lines which were considered
to be best suited to afford adequate control and to safeguard the product as
distributed to the consumer.
distributed to the consumer. The table below sets out from whence the samples were taken.
| Type of test | Roundsmen and Shops | Schools | Vending Machines | Milk Dispensers | Hospitals | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chemical | 17 | 31 | 33 | 5 | 8 | 94 |
| Bacteriological | 16 | 34 | 18 | Nil | 7 | 75 |
No adverse reports were received from either chemical or bacteriological
laboratories concerning milk purchased from roundsmen or shops, or milk taken
from schools or hospitals.
Cafe proprietors of the premises where the Milk Marketing Board have installed
their milk dispensers have been strongly advised against the practice
of rinsing out the bottles of milk with water and pouring it into the dispenser.
ICE-CREAM
The pattern of ice-cream trading has changed latterly which has called for
a review of sampling and control procedures. Soft ice-cream sold from a dispensing
machine is gaining in popularity, and whilst the product itself may be
sterile the attention given to the machines by the operators is not always of
a sufficiently high standard as to produce a constant Grade 1 product. The
reports on the 50 samples of ice-cream which were submitted to the Public
Health Laboratory Service for Methylene Blue Tests were as follows:-
Grade 1-16
Grade 2-15
Grade 3 - 13
Grade 4 - 6
Of the 51 samples taken for chemical examination under Pood Standards
(Ice-Cream) Regulations, 1959, not one was reported as being deficient in the
required standards.
19 new applications for the sale and/or storage of ice-cream were approved.
At the end of the year the premises of 711 retailers and 15 manufacturers were
registered.
EGG PASTEURISATION PLANTS AND POULTRY PROCESSING PREMISES
There are no such establishments situated within the Borough.