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SUPERVISION OF FOOD SUPPLIES
Food and Drugs Act. 1955
This Act, which came into operation on 1st January, 1956,
is now the principal Act for controlling the composition, labelling,
fitness and hygienic handling of food.
Food Hygiene Regulations, 1955 to 1957
These Regulations are the principal instruments for
enforcing good food hygiene practice in foodshops. Their title
emphasises the changing trend whereby a national policy is developing
along the lines of clean food handling to safe food.
The Regulations replace the former Section 13 of the Food and
Drugs Act, 1938, 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 s-
Reauirements 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;
(d) suitable and sufficient washbasins must be provided,
together with a supply of hot and cold water,
soap, nailbrush and clean towels;
(e) in premises where open food is handled, suitable and
sufficient sinks, together with an adequate
supply of hot and cold water, soap or suitable
detergent, and of clean cloths must be provided,
and in addition adequate and suitable cleaning
and drying facilities;
(f) lighting and ventilation of food rooms must be adequate
and satisfactory;
(g) walls, floors, windows, ceiling, woodwork, doors and all
other parts of structure of every food room, must
be kept clean, and in such good order, repair and
condition, as to enable them to be effectively
cleaned and prevent risk of infestation by rats,
mice, insects and birds.