View report page

42
SECTION E.
INSPECTION AND SUPERVISION
OF FOODS.
General.
A few days before Christmas, notice was given by the Ministry
of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, that the Food and Drugs Amendment
Act, 1954, the operation of which had been pending for approximately
twelve months, would be brought into operation on the 1st
January, 1956. Notice was also given, however, that the Food and
Drugs Act, 1955, would be brought into operation on the same day
and would repeal the 1954 Act.
The 1955 Act is a consolidation measure. Besides repealing the
1954 Act, it consolidates it with the Food and Drugs Act 1938, the
Food and Drugs (Milk, Dairies and Artificial Cream) Act 1950, and
other legislation while amending Part V of the 1938 Act in connection
with Slaughterhouses and Knackers' Yards.
The Food Hygiene Regulations 1955 made under the new Food
and Drugs Act, were also brought into force on the 1st January, 1956,
and at the time this report was being compiled, all food shops had
been given preliminary notice of the main changes in the law and a
full-scale inspection of food shops had been commenced. The object
of these new regulations is to reduce to a minimum the risk of food
poisoning by the stricter use of hygienic practices. It is hoped in my
next report to give a detailed picture of the improvements that have
been effected, but it can be said already that the co-operation of shopkeepers,
even where improvements have involved considerable cost,
has been highly encouraging.