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does not involve sufficient heat treatment to bring about sterilisation
and if the egg product is infected with Salmonella or paratyphoid-B,
outbreaks of food poisoning due to these organisms may occur, and some
recent outbreaks may have been attributable to this cause.
As a result of discussions with the Ministry of Health the following
procedure was agreed upon:-
(i) All Chinese dried and crystalline albumen shall be suitably
heat treated at a number of centres which are being set up by
the trade. All Chinese albumen will go from the ports to these
centres. Heat treated albumen would be adequately sampled;
and
(ii) there will be suitable sampling of powdered whole egg and yolk
and frozen liquid egg at the place of entry, from whatever
source, and batches of the products, or individual cases or
tins giving positive results will be detained.
In Stepney, the Food Inspectors have taken samples of these egg
products since May, 1955, and all imports have been detained as a routine
pending bacteriological examination. Details of the samples of these
various egg products, with results, are given in the table relating to
the bacteriological examination of foodstuffs. As an example, 896 cases
of Chinese dried whole-egg powder were detained at a wharf in December,
1955. Samples from 784 cases were found to be negative and these were
released. Samples from the remaining 112 cases were found to contain
Salmonella and these were subsequently re-exported to China.

Cautionary Letters. On the instructions of the Public Health
Committee, cautionary letters were sent in respect of the following contraventions:
-
Sale of buttered rolls, the fat of which
consisted of margarine 3 cautions
Sale of peas contaminated with a dye 1 caution
Smoking a cigarette by a food handler in a food
room where poultry was exposed for sale 1 caution
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