View report page

- 52 -
carrying on business if he is convicted of a
serious offence against the Food Hygiene Regulations.
(c) Requirements relating to the registration of certain
types of food premises (ice-cream, or manufacture of
sausages and potted, pressed, pickled or preserved
food) were re-enacted in a different form. Applications
for registration must now specify the particular part
or parts of the premises it is desired to use for the
purpose of the registered trade, and new registrations
will not in future include any part of the premises
not specified in the application.
(d) Cream substitutes are divided into two categories"imitation
cream" and "reconstituted cream". It is
an offence to sell any substance which resembles cream
in appearance, but is not cream, under a description
which includes the word "cream". It is also an offence
to sell any article of food containing such a substance
unless it is not intended for use as cream or as a
substitute for cream. Ice-cream, however, is not
affected by these new provisions.
(e) Changes in sampling procedure were effected, but these
are mainly of a minor character.
Food Hygiene Regulations, 1955
The title of these Regulations emphasises the changing trend
whereby a national policy is slowly developing along the lines of clean
food handling to safe food.
The Regulations replace the former Section 15 of the Food and
Drugs Act, 1958, and whilst they may be thought capable of varying
interpretation, they constitute a considerable improvement.
A brief summary of the main requirements is as follows
Requirements affecting food handlers
Persons handling food must -
(a) keep their hands and clothing clean;
(b) cover open cuts and abrasions with a water-proof
dressing;
(c) refrain from spitting;
(d) refrain from smoking or taking snuff when handling
food or when in any room where there is open
food;
(e) not place food so as to involve risk of
contamination;
(f) not allow unclean or printed wrapping material
to come into contact with food;
(g) notify the occupier (and owner) if suffering
from, or becoming a carrier of, certain
infectious conditions.
Requirements relating to food premises
(a) No room which communicates with a sanitary convenience
may be used for the handling of food or the
cleaning of equipment;
(b) notices requesting users to wash their hands must be
displayed in every sanitary convenience;
(c) a constant, clean and wholesome water supply must be
provided;