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Public Health (Meat) Regulations, 1924/52.—These regulations
provide for the supervision of slaughterhouses, butchers' shops,
stalls, and the protection of meat against contamination by dirt and
flies, etc., in transport and handling.
As reported under the Legislation section, amendment regulations
were introduced during the year extending existing provisions
to the slaughter of horses, asses and mules.
Butchers' Shops and Stalls.—These are under the constant
supervision of the Food Inspectors who made 435 visits of inspection
and arranged for the correction of insanitary defects at 32 premises.
As with other premises, legal proceedings are instituted only
after disregard of the Officer's warning and in no instance was it
necessary to resort to this procedure.
Slaughterhouses.—Two premises in the Borough originally
licensed as slaughterhouses have not been used as such since the
introduction of the Livestock (Restriction of Slaughtering) Order
1940. In both instances the premises are no longer to be used
as slaughterhouses and the issue of the appropriate licences has
therefore been discontinued.
Public Health (Imported Food) Regulations 1937 and
1948.—The Metropolitan Borough of Greenwich with a river frontage
of five miles with more than 30 wharves and two of London's largest
and most modern cold stores receives a considerable percentage of
London's imported meat stored on behalf of the Ministry of Food.
In addition, considerable quantities of fresh fruit, tinned foods and
miscellaneous provisions are dealt with. Visits to wharves and
cold stores are made by the Food Inspectors and imported food
generally is carefully supervised.
Inevitably meat is the commodity to which Food Inspectors
must devote most of their time and it is their responsibility to see
that each consignment landed is accompanied by an " official "
certificate. This may be in the form of a certificate, label, mark,
stamp or voucher which is recognised by the Ministry of Food as a
guarantee that the accompanying product was inspected ante and
post mortem and passed as fit in accordance with criteria satisfactory
to the Minister and that any necessary packing or preparation had
been executed under hygienic conditions.
A number of circulars were received from the Ministry during
the year illustrating official certificates approved for certain
countries.