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Public Health (Meat) Regulations, 1924/48.—These regulations
provide for the supervision of slaughterhouses, butchers' shops,
stalls, and the protection of meat against contamination by dirt and
flies, etc., in transport and handling.
Butchers' shops and stalls are under the constant supervision
of the Inspectors and proceedings are only instituted after disregard
of the Officer's warning. In no case was it found necessary to caution
Vendors during the year.
During the year, 280 visits of inspection were made to Butchers'
shops and stalls and, mainly as a result of informal action, 19
structural and other defects were remedied.
Slaughterhouses.—Two premises in the Borough originally
licensed as slaughterhouses have not been used as such since the
introduction of the Livestock (Restriction of Slaughtering) Order,
1940. In both instances the premises are no longer to be used
as slaughterhouses and the issue of the appropriate licences has
therefore been discontinued.
Public Health (Imported Food) Regulations 1937 and
1948.—The Metropolitan Borough of Greenwich with a river frontage
of five miles, with more than 30 wharves and two of London's largest
and most modern cold stores receives a considerable percentage of
London's imported meat stored on behalf of the Ministry of Food. In
addition considerable quantities of fresh fruit, tinned foods and miscellaneous
provisions are dealt with. Visits to wharves and cold
stores are made by the Food Inspectors and imported food generally
is carefully supervised.
Inevitably meat is the commodity to which Food Inspectors
must devote most of their time and it is their responsibility to see
that each consignment landed is accompanied by an "official"
certificate. During the year the Ministry of Food published a
pamphlet in this connection, Clauses 1 to 4 of which are quoted
below:—
"1. The Ministry of Food desires to draw the attention of all
importers of meat products, including canned meat products and
animal casings, to the provisions of the Public Health (Imported
Food) Regulations, 1937/48, for England and Wales under which it
is illegal to import any meat product for the sale for human consumption
unless accompanied by an Official Certificate.
2. An "official certificate" may be either a certificate, label,
mark, stamp or other voucher which is recognised by the Minister
of Food as showing:—
(a) that the meat, including any meat used in the preparation
of a meat product, was derived from animals which had been