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49
SECTION E
Inspection of Food and Supervision of Food Premises.
Food Inspection.—The systematic inspection of food and
premises where food is handled has been continued. Relaxation
of controls on building materials and equipment has facilitated
an improvement in the standard of hygiene which suffered considerable
deterioration during the war years. In keeping with
the national effort to better the less desirable aspects of some of
our canteens and restaurants special attention has been given to
catering establishments generally. Imported food has called for
continuous vigilance at the wharves where the Food Inspectors deal
with a wide variety of meats and other vital foods.
The establishment of a whale-meat packing factory has added
yet another phase to the food industries of Greenwich. Here large
consignments of frozen whale-meat are held in cold storage awaiting
the process of cutting and packing in cartons in readiness for retail
sale. The utmost cleanliness is observed in this factory where
white overall-clad workers handle the meat. Facilities for frequent
hand-washing are provided, and it was noted that when common
washing soap failed to cleanse the hands of residual whale oil, liquid
soap and hot water proved quite efficient.
Ice cream has been the subject of much field work in the task
of educating both manufacturers and retailers to think bacteriologically
and to realise the potential dangers of careless handling.
Evidence of solid progress was seen toward the latter end of
the year.
Milk Supply.—This is under direction of the Milk Marketing
Board. The main sources of supply for this Borough are the Home
Counties, with the addition of a small percentage of highly-fatted
Devon and Channel Islands milk. Much of our milk is bottled
at the points of production or pasteurisation, and heat treatment
is general. Raw milk, when available, is from tuberculin-tested
herds.
Milk and Dairies (Amendment) Act, 1922.—Milk and
Dairies Regulations 1926-1943.—At the commencement of the
yoar there were 71 purveyors of milk on the Register of Dairies and
Milkshops; no new applications have been received during the
year.