[Report 1951] / Medical Officer of Health, Chesterfield Borough.

  • Chesterfield (England). Borough Council.
Date:
1951
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1951] / Medical Officer of Health, Chesterfield Borough. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    18/54 (page 16)
    to failure to mix the milk after it had been standing in the bottling machine before bottling commenced. A fine of £5 and £2 2s. Od. costs was imposed. In the second case, a sample of milk taken from a retailer receiving his milk as a sealed bottled supply from a producer out- side the Borough was found to be deficient in milk fat to the extent of 16.6 per cent., and in non-fatty solids to 3.0 per cent., and by its freezing point to contain traces of added water, the latter being so small as to be discounted. Two “Appeal to Cow” samples taken from the herd of 18 Ayrshire cows on the premises of the producer proved on analysis to be milk of good quality, having a fat content] exceeding 3.8 per cent. Legal proceedings were taken against the retailer who, in turn, summoned the producer of the milk as the person responsible for the deficency. After hearing the evidence of both defendants, the Magistrates found the retailer “Not Guilty”, but the producer to be “Guilty”, and imposed a fine and costs amounting to £10 5s. Od. Of the other food samples, a formal sample of meat paste taken on the 13 th June, 1951, from a retailer who was not the manu- facturer of the product, was found to contain only 38 per cent, of meat as compared with a minimum of 50 per cent, required by the Meat Products and Canned Meat (Control and Maximum Prices) Order, 1948. An amendment to that Order, freeing meat paste from control both as regards price and composition, came into operation the day after the sample was taken, thus preventing any legal action being taken under the original Order. A severe warning was, however, given to the retailer. A formal sample of ice cream taken from a producer-retailer was found to contain only 2.33 per cent, of fat, as compared with a minimum of 5.0 per cent, required by the Food Standards (Ice Cream) Order, 1951, the deficiency therefore being 53.4 per cent. Legal proceedings were instituted in respect of this sample, the defendant being found “Guilty” and a fine and costs totalling £14 4s. Od. was imposed. The remaining sample found to be below standard comprised an informal sample of table jelly which did not conform to the Setting Test of the Food Standards (Table Jellies) Order, 1949. Milk Tested for Tubercle Bacilli. Reference has been made earlier in this report to the incidence of Tuberculosis in cows passing through the Borough Abattoir, but it must be pointed out that comparatively few of the infected cattle mentioned would produce tuberculous milk. It is not now the duty of the Local Authority to supervise milk production, as all matters concerning both milk production and the health of dairy herds is vested in the Ministry of Agriculture and, Fisheries. So long as this high incidence of disease continues, and until all the dairy herds in the Borough become supervised under the