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The Milk (Special Designations) (Specified Areas) Order, 1951, came into operation on 1st
October, 1951. This Order defined the County of Middlesex as an area in which the use of a special
designation becomes obligatory for the purpose of all sales of milk by retail for human consumption
(other than a catering sale). The special designations permitted are "sterilised", "pasteurised" and
"tuberculin tested."
Ice-Cream.— Under the Food and Drugs Act, premises used for " the sale or the manufacture
for the purpose of sale, of ice-cream, or the storage of ice-cream intended for sale " must be registered.
This does not apply to premises used primarily as a club, hotel, inn or restaurant and only to a theatre,
cinematograph theatre, music hall or concert hall if the ice-cream is manufactured on the premises. The
number of premises registered at the end of the year was 210.
In recent years, the cleanliness of Ice-cream has given rise to anxiety, and though no bacteriological
standard has been laid down, the Ice-Cream (Heat Treatment, etc.) Regulations were brought into
operation with a view to improving the hygienic quality. The Regulations require all ice-cream except
complete cold-mix powders, to be heat treated with a view to killing any pathogenic organisms which may
be present and lay down the temperatures at which mixtures are to be kept before and after heat treatment
—these temperatures are such as to discourage bacterial growth.
The Regulations also require that ice-cream shall be protected from dirt, dust or other contamination.
The enforcement of these Regulations calls for regular and persistent supervision of premises,
plant and methods of manufacture and handling.
During the year, 406 inspections of registered premises were carried out. The following results
were obtained from the bacteriological examination of the following samples:—
Excellent Satisfactory Doubtful Unsatisfactory
Ice Cream 64 12 — 3
Water ices or "lollies" 24 8 — 1
The number of samples taken was less than in 1952 because for a time the number submitted for
examination had to be curtailed because of pressure of other work in the laboratory. The percentage
of doubtful and unsatisfactory samples was 3.6, as compared with 31.9 in 1952 and 32.5 in 1951. This
seems to be due to the fact that most of the ice-cream sold in the Borough is now produced by large firms
employing chemists and bacteriologists. Two samples of " lollies" were submitted to analysis, but
showed no evidence of metallic contamination.
Bakehouses.— There are 22 bakehouses in the Borough and 127 visits of inspection were made
during the year.
Slaughterhouses, etc.— There is no public abattoir in the Borough, and the eight private
slaughterhouses remain closed. There is one licensed knacker's yard and the humane killer is used on
all animals slaughtered there. During the year one visit of inspection was made.
Slaughter of Animals Act, 1933.— During the year, five applications for a licence as a slaughterman
were granted.
Inspection of Meat and Other Foods.— There are in the Borough 155 catering establishments,
22 bakeries, 67 butchers' shops, 30 fish shops, 9 milk depots and 355 other retail food premises subject
to inspection and supervision. During the year, inspections of food were carried out as follows —meat,
840; fish, 201; provisions, 394; vegetables and fruit, 199; foodstuffs on hawkers' vehicles or stalls,
127; and other foods 422. Action in Court was taken in one case where the premises failed to comply
with the requirements of the Food and Drugs Act, and a fine of £2 with one guinea costs was imposed.
During the year, 11,210 lbs. and 4,373 tins, etc., of unsound food were seized by or surrendered
to the Sanitary Inspectors at retail premises. The following foods were brought to the Department
because the purchasers were not satisfied of their fitness for human consumption:—milk, one; bread,
eight; biscuits, one; cake, one; cheese, one; meat and meat products, five; bacon, two; lobster, one;
and puffed rice, one. Three of these items were sent for analysis and found to be satisfactory. In four
cases, foreign bodies were found to be present; in three cases, warning letters were sent to the firms
concerned, while proceedings in the other case resulted in a fine of £5 with two guineas costs. In the
remaining 14 cases, no cause for action was found.
Premises used for "the preparation or manufacture of sausages or potted, pressed, pickled or
preserved food for sale" are required under the Food and Drugs Act, 1938, to be registered, and at the
end of the year, 95 such premises were registered.
I- nder Section 11 of the Middlesex County Council Act, 1950, hawkers of food and their storage
premises require to be registered. At the end of the year, 73 hawkers were on the register.
Municipal Restaurants and School Canteens.—There is no municipal restaurant in the
Borough, but during the year the 20 school canteens provided 1,269,005 meals.
The school dinner is designed to provide about one-third of the child's daily protein requirement,
together with a due proportion of other foods. Parents should not depend too much on the school
dinner, and other meals at home should be adequate and varied.
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