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The contamination of food with foreign bodies or food poisoning
organisms seems to be increasing and there appear to be more prosecutions
reported today for these than for anything else connected with
food. There is, of course, a vast amount of food handled daily and a
sense of proportion must be kept, but even so, reasonable care should
prevent bandages, nails, cigarette ends and similar foreign bodies from
entering food products.
The mechanisation of processes in the preparation of foods, particularly
since the war, has been greatly extended, but there remains
in each case some stage which relies on people to check the efficiency
of the machinery and cleanliness of the utensils or carry out other
routine measures to ensure that the food is free from defect or foreign
substance.
Personal Cleanliness
Legislation concerning food premises now provides that the premises
should be properly constructed, equipped and kept in good repair,
but the personal habits and cleanliness of the operatives is something
which their own self-respect and sense of responsibility should ensure.
Personal hygiene means clean habits and a positive attitude of mind
towards cleanliness, not only because contamination can cause disease
but because cleanliness is worthwhile in itself. Personal hygiene is
thus the foundation of hygienic food handling.
Refrigeration
Refrigeration in the hygienic storage of food is of great importance
today. Without it or other safeguards food poisoning organisms
will thrive and multiply in suitable temperature conditions and special
susceptibility of the type of food among which are cooked meat
products, artificial cream, trifles and custards. Adequate measures to
prevent this possibility include, not only screening of the foods from
direct contamination by dust, flies, etc.; but the storage, until delivery
to the consumer of these goods, at a temperature which will inhibit
the growth of these organisms.
The number of food premises, including retail shops in the Borough
which have now installed refrigerating equipment is very gratifying;
but in view of the more stringent requirements of the Food Hygiene
Regulations the use of refrigeration should be more widely adopted.
The practice of displaying such foods as sausage rolls, meat pies,
cooked meats, in open windows, often with the sun on them, should,
like the open butcher's shop, be a thing of the past. Refrigerated
display windows and cabinets should be used for displaying all prepared
foods not consumed immediately after cooking or final
preparation.
Transport of Food
Transport of foods, particularly those which are not completely
wrapped, still leaves much to be desired, although there has lately
been some improvement owing to the use of new commercial vehicles
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