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attainable only by a knowledge of the principles involved and an
intelligent attention to detail.
There is no doubt that an educated public, more than legislation,
will ensure that restaurants and food shops maintain a satisfactory
standard of hygiene.
Legislation.—Of the new legislation introduced in the current
year concerning food, the following enactments and their associated
Orders and Regulations were considered the more important:—
The Milk and Dairies (General) Regulations, 1959.—These
Regulations re-enacted with amendments the Milk and Dairies
Regulations, 1949 to 1954, and came into force on 8th March of the
current year. The principal changes are :—
(a) the registration of distributors is now required to be
effected only with the local authority in whose area the
premises from which the milk is distributed are situated;
(b) suitable and properly trapped internal drains are permitted
in a milking house which is not used for the
housing of cattle where no other means of drainage is
reasonably practicable ;
(c) provision is made for the local authority to pay compensation
to a person who sustains damage or loss through being
debarred from certain employment connected with cows
or with milk because he is suffering, or has been in contact
with a person suffering, from a disease liable to cause
infection of milk ;
(d) where milk is infected, or suspected of being infected with
disease :—
(i) the appropriate notice may be served by a medical
officer of health on the occupier of registered premises
outside (as well as inside) his district and, in the case
of tuberculosis, it shall operate until it is withdrawn;
(ii) the conditions as to compensation have been considerably
modified ;
(e) an electric or gas boiler may be used in a milking house
or milk room and bottles which have contained certain
foods other than milk may be cleansed in a milk room ;
(f) there are new provisions as to personal cleanliness, precautions
against contamination or infection of milk and
the provision of first aid equipment;
(g) the Minister may permit milk to be cooled in a closed container
in a milking house not used for the housing of cattle
where the cows are milked by mechanical means direct to
such container;