[Report 1964] / Medical Officer of Health, Birkenhead County Borough.
- Birkenhead (England). County Borough Council.
- Date:
- 1964
Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
Credit: [Report 1964] / Medical Officer of Health, Birkenhead County Borough. Source: Wellcome Collection.
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![All complaints were investigated with the retailers, manufacturers and importers. In the majority of cases some fault in manufacture or stock rotation was indicated, but on some occasions it was difficult to establish whether the food was in the alleged condition at the time of purchase. Fourteen complaints were received of milk being supplied in dirty bottles, two of these being in respect of school milk. Three complaints were made about foreign objects in milk - two concerning straw and chaff in farm bottled milk, the other being the discovery of a white plastic toy in a pint bottle. In addition 3 complaints were received from schools of badly damaged bottles being delivered. This resulted in glass fragments falling into the milk when the foil caps were removed. An unusual bitter taste in farm bottled milk caused the last complaint. This vas found to be due to the presence of a small quantity of detergent. In all cases the bottlers of the milk were cautioned. Bread, confectionery and cereal products gave rise to thirty-four complaints. Bread and cakes affected with mould were responsible for twelve incidents and loaves stained with oil or grease from bakery machinery for three complaints. Spider beetles were discovered in packets of biscuits on two occasions, as were wasps on fruit tarts. Also found in a currant tart was part of an insect alleged to be a cockroach, later identified as a ground beetle. Insects were stated to have been found in a currant bun and a packet of breakfast cereal, and on two occasions moths were found adhering to the outside of fruit loaves. A 4 oz weight was found in a piece of cake, a piece of wood in a scone, a piece of green pea in a loaf, a sliver of metal in a biscuit, a small piece of glass in a walnut cake, a small stone in a fruit malt loaf, a piece of plastic covered wire in a mince pie and dirt under the pastry case of a tart. Flies were alleged to have been found in crevices in bread on two occasions, but in one of these cases it was later admitted that a child in the family concerned had placed the insect there as a ’’joke”. Twenty-nine complaints were received about various meat products. Found to be affected with mould were six meat pies, a cornish pasty and a sausage roll. Three packets of sausages were found to be sour and mouldy as was a pack of black puddings. Bacon was found to be infested with maggots on two occasions and a wrapped pack of minced meat was similarly affected. A piece of belly pork, a shoulder of lamb, a chicken and a fowl were stated to be decomposing the day after purchase but their state at the time of sale could not be established. A portion of cooked chicken was found to have an offensive smell, which was considered to be due to the fact that the bird had not been properly ’’drawn” before cooking. Sliced pork and tongue was alleged to be unfit on the same afternoon as purchased, but the same meat on the market stall was found to be satisfactory. Pre-wrapped bacon was said to be reasty when the wrapper was opened. A spider was found in a black pudding and cockroaches in two meat pies. A piece of wire was found in a mixture of steak and kidney. A complaint that canned lamb *s tongues were unfit because of black markings was disproved when these were founr] to be due to natural pigmentation.](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b28927588_0086.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
