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33
SECTION E.
Food
Food Hygiene.
Particular attention was given during the year to the problem of
the hygienic handling of food, and the various possible means of
improving it were reviewed.
The Council agreed in principle that washing facilities should
be available free of charge in the Public Conveniences.
A lecture-demonstration was arranged on one occasion and
all managers of the smaller cafes were invited to attend. A useful
discussion followed but little enthusiasm was displayed for further
meetings or for talks to employees.
The formation of a Food Hygiene Guild was put forward as
a suggestion to the Council, and remained under consideration at
the end of the year.
Adulteration of Food.
The examinations made by the Public Analyst of samples of
foods and drugs show that there is now only a negligible amount
of adulteration carried out by traders, and very few contraventions
of the labelling orders and other requirements with regard to the
sale of food.
In all 750 samples were taken and only 8 were reported upon
by the Public Analyst as not genuine. This figure represents one
per cent. of the total. In order to disturb traders as little as
possible, to avoid the spending of the time involved in the taking
of formal samples, to preserve as far as possible, and to safeguard
against the necessity to take formal action, on one result alone nearly
all the samples taken were purchased informally, the formal procedure
being mainly reserved for those cases in which informal results
indicated the probability of adulteration. The very small number of
adulterated samples among those purchased informally show this
to be completely satisfactory.