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10
Food Premises and Restaurant Sanitation.
The number of inspections carried out was 1,126.
Limitations of labour and materials have restricted the Department's
activities in connection with existing restaurants and catering establishments.
Special attention has, however, been paid to the premises of all
new applicants to the Food Executive Officer for catering licences, and
in the event of any such premises being structurally or hygienically
unsuitable, or otherwise not conforming with the requisites of Section 13
of the Food and Drugs Act, 1938 (precautions to be taken against contamination
of food), the Food Executive Officer is informed accordingly
and the licence is not issued until the necessary work is executed to the
satisfaction of the Sanitary Authority.
During the year forty-one applications to the Food Executive Officer
for new licences were referred to me.
The adequate supervision of restaurant sanitation is of primary
importance owing to the danger to the public of the spread of diseases
of the alimentary type commonly conveyed by food, i.e., diseases of the
enteric type (typhoid and paratyphoid fevers, dysentery, food poisoning
and intestinal parasitism).
Bacteriological Examination of Foodstuffs.
The following samples were submitted for bacteriological analysis
during the year :—
Milk 9
Dehydrated egg 1
Ice cream 4
Chocolates 2
No pathogenic organisms were found.
The milk samples satisfactorily passed the "Methylene Blue" test
in respect of keeping quality and, with one exception, the "Phosphatase"
test, indicating efficient pasteurisation.
It was necessary to call the attention of the vendors to the following
unsatisfactory samples :—3 ice cream; 3 milk; 2 chocolates and one
dehydrated egg. Visits were paid by the Sanitary Inspectors to the
premises concerned and suggestions made, designed to improve the
conditions of manufacture as regards cleanliness. Further test samples
are being taken from the unsatisfactory cases.
Food Adulteration.
500 samples were taken from retail and wholesale premises by the
Sanitary Inspectors for analyses by the Public Analyst, Dr. H. E. Cox,
D.Sc., Ph.D. (Lond.), F.I.C.
The number of samples classed as adulterated was 28 or 5 per cent.
of the total number as compared with 37 or 7.4 per cent. in 1944.
The adulterated foodstuffs have been tabulated hereunder. Three
prosecutions were instituted in respect of adulterated curry powder;
in the remaining cases the offending foodstuffs were withdrawn from