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butter were unsatisfactory, while margarine yielded
three adulterated samples out of 22. Two samples of
butter were so badly decomposed as to be unfit for food*
and nine samples exceeded the standard for water
allowed by the Butter Regulations (16%). To put it
bluntly, butter of good farmhouse or dairy quality with
9% to 12% of water is purchased in bulk by certain firms,
who add further water up to an amount just low enough
to prevent prosecution. All the same good quality
butter is obtainable in the Borough as 15 samples contained
water in amounts between 11% and 14%. Such
butter's keep better than wet ones, and do not develop
the moulds and other discolourations that are very
common on water-loaded butters to-day.
The average moisture in butter was 15.13% and in
Margarine it was 14.75%.
Lard was invariably of reasonably fresh quality,
and not only free from rancidity but capable of being
kept for an appreciable time in a house without spoiling.
The average amount of Free Fatty Acids was 0.51%,
the range being from 0.36% to 0.72%.
A sample of Bread, submitted to the Medical Officer
of Health by a Fulham resident, that was the subject of
a Certificate of Adulteration, was decomposing. It had
a sour smell and in addition was the subject of incipient
mouldiness. I duly certified that in 24 hours the mould
alone would render the bread unfit for use by man, horse
or poultry. A substantial amount of information and
also suggestions were supplied to assist the bakers in
preventing any recurrence. It is a point, if not of
duty then of neighbourliness, that whenever objections
of innocent cause are discovered, as much assistance as
possible should be generously given to the unwitting
offender, when this can be done without prejudice to
consumers. Subsequent loaves from the same vendor
proved entirely satisfactory.
* The remainder of the stock was surrendered by the vendor
and destroyed.