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regulations, the Arsenic in Food (Amendment) Regulations
which increase from 2 to 5 parts per million the maximum
amount of arsenic permitted in brewers' yeast products and
the Meat (Staining and Sterilization) Regulations which
(with certain exceptions) require all butchers meat and
imported meat which is unfit for human consumption to be
sterilized and all knackers meat to be stained and sterilized
before it enters the chain of distribution.
The Ministries of Health and of Agriculture, Fisheries
and Food in consultation with the local authority and trade
associations concerned produced Codes of Practice for
hygiene in the retail meat and fish trades and for the
hygienic handling and transport of meat and fish.
Milk
The Milk (Special Designation) Regulations, 1960 which
were promulgated during the year consolidate and re-enact
with amendments the Raw Milk Regulations, 1948 to 1954 and
the Pasteurised and Sterilised Milk Regulations, 1949 to
1953. The principal changes are a modification of the
Phosphatase test for heated milk, the discontinuance of
supplementary licences for the sale of milk within the
Borough from premises outside the Borough, the introduction
of a dealer's (pre-packed milk) licence to permit the sale
of all three kinds of designated milk and the extension
of the licence period from one year to five years. One
hundred and ninety seven of these pre-packed milk licences
were issued.
Food Poisoning
During the year, 64 cases of food poisoning were
reported as compared with 109 in 1959. Despite prompt and
careful investigation efforts to trace the causative agent
were generally unsuccessful. Where single cases of a mild
nature occur, the sufferers do not usually seek medical
advice early with the result that none of the suspected
food is any longer available for examination. In some
instances a diagnosis has only been made bacteriologically
on isolating a food poisoning organism from the faeces of
the patient.
There was, unfortunately, one death from this cause
a baby aged six months. The day after it was taken ill
this child was removed to hospital where a food poisoning
organism was isolated from the stools. Investigations were