View report page

71
Byelaws for the protection of food
Byelaws have been made by the London County Council under
section 15 of the Food and Drugs Act, 1938, for securing the observance
of sanitary and cleanly conditions and practices in connection with the
handling, wrapping and delivery of food sold or intended for sale for
human consumption, and in connection with the sale or exposure for sale
in the open air of food intended for human consumption.
These byelaws, which are based on the model byelaws published
by the Ministry of Food, came into force on 3 November 1952 and
repealed the byelaws made by the London County Council under section
6 of the London County Council (General Powers) Act, 1932. The
model byelaws were prepared by a working party of officers of the
Ministries of Food and Health and comments were invited from other
government departments and associations representing local authorities
and food handling trades.
The new byelaws require that every person engaging in the handling,
wrapping and delivery of food shall observe cleanliness in regard to
his person and clothing and shall take steps to prevent food being
contaminated by dust and dirt, etc., animals, rodents, flies and insects
and other sources, including contamination by other persons. It is an
offence for any person who is suffering from or is a carrier of any
disease, to handle, wrap or deliver food so that there may be a risk of
the disease being spread. In order to prevent contamination, food,
where necessary, has to be kept covered during delivery, and all surfaces,
fittings, apparatus, etc., including the interiors of vehicles and containers
used during delivery with which food may come into contact, must be
constructed of nonabsorbent material and be kept clean. Where refuse
is incidental to a particular trade it has to be kept away from food and
be stored in suitable receptacles which must be emptied at least once
a day.
It is forbidden to use any wrapping material or container which
is not clean or which is likely to contaminate food, and newsprint, if
used for wrapping, can not be allowed to come into direct contact
with food except in the case of uncooked vegetables. Containers used
in certain trades have to be returned after use in a clean condition.
A legible notice is required to be affixed in a prominent position near
every sanitary convenience requesting employees to wash their hands
after using the convenience. Similar conditions apply where food is
sold or exposed for sale in the open air, and in addition the name and
address of the proprietor must be displayed on the stall or container
used.
In order to ensure compliance with the byelaws, suitable and
sufficient lighting, either natural or artificial, needs to be available, both
in rooms used for the handling of food and for stalls from which food
is sold in the open air.
In the main, the new byelaws follow on the lines of the byelaws
which have been repealed, and have the effect of bringing requirements
into line with the changes in law effected by the Food and Drugs Act,
1938, rather than establish a new code of practice.