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57
and expect such visits being paid during the early hours of the morning. Many legal
proceedings have resulted from the visits including the seizure of unsound food at
2 a.m. which with the resultant successful prosecution must be considered
exceptional.
Contraventions of the Pood Hygiene Regulations are often observed and advice
given by the Inspectors with a view to an improvement being made in order to bring
the premises up to satisfactory standard. In some cases employees were found to be
smoking in rooms where open food was stored or sold and appropriate action was
taken.
In order to assist in the education of immigrants engaged in food handling and
to inform them of their obligations under the Pood Hygiene (General) Regulations a
quantity of pamphlets were printed in Greek, Turkish, Chinese, Urdu, Bengali and
Italian. These have proved to be helpful in the promotion of hygienic practices and
have assisted the Inspectors in securing compliance with the required standards.
Complaints of alleged unfitness were received in respect of the following: -
Biscuits, excess of fatty acids Mouldy pie (7)
Bitter roast pork , Mouldy bread (11)
Bad taste of sweets Mould in tinned meat (2)
Bread causing sickness Margarine instead of butter
Bitter orange ice lolly Mould in margarine
Bad taste to meat pie Mould in sponge
Cap in milk bottle (2) Metal in apple tart
Cement in milk bottle Nail in loaf of bread
Cigarette in loaf of bread Pineapple and rice causing sickness
Disinfectant in mineral water Plastic in fruit cake
Discoloured corned beef Paraffin odour in orange juice
Decomposition of tinned meat Rubber band in cake
Dirty milk bottle Rancid butter (2)
Dirty medicine bottle Soiled dough in bread (4)
Foreign body in loaf of bread (2) Stale cake
Foreign substance in milk (2) Sand in powered chillies
Fibre in chocolate Sugary condition of jellies
Glass in cereal Tin of pineapple
Glass in medicine Unfit apples
Hairs in span roll Unsound pork
Insects in milk Wire in chocolate
Insects in cereals Wood in tinned luncheon meat
Mussels
Details of the proceedings taken in respect of the above complaints, and other
action by the Inspectors appear on pages 59 - 61.
Mould still plays an important part in complaints, showing a lack of good housekeeping
either by the retailer or the purchaser. Sometimes there is a misunderstanding
in the use of refrigeration particularly in the case of meat pies - the stated shelflife
of which should not be exceeded. Inspectors are only too pleased to advise
retailers on this or any other aspect of food handling or storage. The receipt of such
complaints show the awareness of the public who demand a clean and wholesome article
of food.
The Inspectors found that in many cases the occupiers of food and other premises
make structural alterations and commence business without due regard to the legislation
in force. Upon being found later it is difficult to secure compliance with the
Council's requirements.