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246
1907]
Inspection of Food.—The inspection of food is naturally one of the
most important duties which devolves on the Public Health Department of
the Council, and the work is generally delegated to an Inspector specially
appointed for the purpose, particularly with respect to what is commonly
known as butchers' meat. At the same time, the other Inspectors are expected
if they see any unsound food to seize it, and in the case of food supposed to
be diseased, to detain it until they have called in either the special Inspector
or the Medical Officer of Health. The reason for this differentiation in
their action between diseased and unsound meat is that it is only a specially
skilled Inspector who can decide whether meat is diseased or not, whereas an
unskilled Inspector can easily tell if food is unsound, the eyes and the
nose being sure indicators in the latter case. Errors made by unskilled
Inspectors have been the cause of their Authorities being mulct in heavy costs,
and, therefore, it is necessary in the interests of the Council itself to see that
no food, especially meat, shall be seized as diseased unless it be absolutely
certain that it is so.
This explanation is necessary because there has been the feeling that the
Inspectors in Islington, other than the specially appointed Inspector, were
prevented from administering the sections of the Public Health Act relating
to unsound food.
Unsound Food.—The total amount of food condemned during the year
was 2 tons, 1 cwt., 0 qrs., 9 lbs., as compared with 2 tons, 1 cwt., 1 qr., 2 lbs.,
during the preceding year.
The particulars are set out in the following statement.
1st Quarter.
cwts. qrs. lbs.
Diseased and unsound meat and organs from
slaughterhouses 3 0 0
Diseased and unsound foodstuffs from factories,
shops, etc. 0 1 14
Total cwts. 3 1 14