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Very large capital expenditure on improvements has been and is being incurred by catering
establishments in the City, in some instances exceeding £20,000. It is not surprising, therefore,
that after all preliminary difficulties have been resolved, the actual execution of the necessary
works may extend over a period of 12 months or more.
Sufficient has been said to indicate that there is no short and easy way to the achievement
of a satisfactory standard in design and structure, even when the goodwill and co-operation of
all interested parties is available. It is only fair to state that almost without exception the
full co-operation of the catering trade has been forthcoming, and in no instance has it been
necessary to resort to legal proceedings in order to enforce satisfactory standards.
It is apparent, however, that the ever increasing cost of modernisation of premises must
retard the rate at which major schemes of improvement can be launched even by the larger
catering firms, and there is no doubt that the high cost of building works is proving a serious
embarassment to the small caterer with limited capital resources.
Considerable progress has been made during the year in the provision of additional washingup
facilities and personal washing facilities for staff, but undoubtedly much remains to be done
in the fitting of better hot water installations and the provision of additional sinks and/or washingup
machines, before some of the more obvious bad practises are eliminated. The washing of
cutlery in portable containers, a practise much to be deprecated, is almost a tradition in some
sections of the catering industry and is a habit which dies slowly.
It is encouraging to report that the extent and degree of rat infestation in restaurant
premises has shown a remarkable decline during the last few years, this improvement undoubtedly
being due in a great measure to the efficiency and effectiveness of the steps taken by the
Corporation's Rodent Officer and his staff.
The endeavour to improve means of ventilation in the many basement kitchens throughout
the City is a constant struggle against technical difficulties and heavy expenditure, and the
measures taken to improve conditions have met with varying degrees of success.
A further problem which seems incapable of a satisfactory solution is that of the very tiny
kitchen, sometimes nothing more than a passage or recess, where it is impossible to provide
adequate floor space for essential equipment such as sinks; where suitable food storage accommodation
is non-existent; outdoor clothes of the staff are deposited within the kitchen; and the
congestion is such that thorough cleansing is an impossibility. In some instances these
establishments have been operating for many years; in others, these conditions have gradually
developed as a result of the expansion of the business to a type of catering not originally intended
and for which the premises were not designed.
The only logical course is for such premises, which are basically unsuitable for the
preparation of food and which cannot be made suitable, to cease to function as catering
establishments. Of course the initiation of any action which might deprive a trader of his living
is repugnant and heretofore a radical solution has been deferred. Sooner or later, however, the
difficulty of dealing with this type of premises must be resolved, and it would appear that a few
at least of the City caterers should either cease trading or alternatively move to more suitable
premises. Here again a further difficulty arises, because suitable premises, at rents which a
small caterer could afford to pay, are not easy to obtain.
FOOD & DRUGS ACT, 1938 and FOOD REGULATIONS.
Mr. Harrington, Sampling Officer under the Food and Drugs Act, reports as follows: —
226 samples have been submitted to the Public Analyst; 23 of these were formal and 203
were informal samples. Two samples were reported against; in the one case legal proceedings
were instituted and in the other a caution was administered.
Milk.
19 samples of pasteurised milk were examined by both the Phosphatase and the Methylene
Blue Tests. The Phosphatase Test is designed to check the efficiency of the heat treatment
applied to the milk, whilst the Methylene Blue Test gives an indication of its keeping qualities,
which has some relation to general cleanliness. Adverse reports on the Methylene Blue Test
were received in respect of two of these samples and cautions were administered to the persons
responsible. Two samples of sterilised milk were submitted to the Turbidity Test and were found
satisfactory.
The average composition of genuine milk samples taken during the year was Milk fat 3.50
per cent., Solids (not fat) 8.90 per cent., Total solids 12.4 per cent.
There are now eight dairies in the City of London within the meaning of the Milk and Dairies
Regulations, 1949 but a considerable number of milk bars and suchlike places where milk is sold
for consumption on the premises only. 92 Supplementary Licences in respect of 28 firms and
individuals and 32 Dealers' Licences in respect of 12 firms and individuals were issued under
the Milk (Special Designation) (Raw Milk) Regulations, 1949/50 and the Milk (Special
Designation) (Pasteurised and Sterilised Milk) Regulations, 1949/1953.
Cream.
Four samples of Double Cream were submitted to the Methylene Blue, Phosphatase and
Coliform Tests. Of these, one was unsatisfactory suggesting some degree of contamination after
pasteurisation. The suppliers were notified immediately.
In one other case in which two samples were taken on different dates, it appeared on
examination by the Phosphatase Test that the cream had not been heat treated despite the
printed claim of the suppliers that it had been 'flash pasteurised'.