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"The registration of all food premises is long overdue and it is a sad commentary on
the present state of the law that while one shopkeeper selling packaged ice-cream from a
refrigerator is required to register with the local authority,*his next door neighbour selling
frozen foods is not required to do so. Many of these foods such as made up meat and fish
dishes, some of which may be prepared as far afield as Italy, are, if not stored properly,
potentially at least as dangerous as ice-cream and are much more liable to contamination
during manufacture."
It really does border on the ridiculous when our present law compels certain standards to be
demanded before a business handling food in one form can commence operation, and yet because
of alleged difficulties with the Catering Industry any one can open a restaurant without the
Medical Officer of Health having any say in the matter whatsoever. A person must register for the
sale of ice-cream but not for the sale of frozen foods ! To what length of dizzy fantasy will the
prejudiced mind lead us ?
Of course it is feasible to argue academically for non-registration on purely theoretical
grounds. Our colleagues in the Planning Department can adjudicate on the necessity of the type
of business which may be allowed in a particular neighbourhood or on the external appearance
the business will present to the world. The City Engineer can ensure that the sanitary accommodation
and plumbing arrangements in all new buildings are in accordance with the bye-laws.
We ourselves must then have the temerity to approach any prospective proprietor and ask if we
may be informed of the details of their catering proposals. However, should the size of the
premises or the spaces allocated for the various functional purposes appear to us fraught with
difficulties we find ourselves in a dilemma to which there is no logical answer. We cannot deny
the person the use of premises even though he maintains before he commences trading that he
can provide all the necessary adjuncts to his proposed business and still leave space for his
customers. We know only too well from our experience that such premises are inherently unsatisfactory
and will inevitably lead to difficulties and disappointment from everyone's point of view.
It is probable that inadequate space in kitchens and inadequate and unsuitable food storage
accommodation are basic difficulties which impede good hygienic practice to a greater extent
in the City than elsewhere. This is a fundamental reason why we are so insistent that prior
approval is the only practicable means of preventing the use of unsuitable premises.
It may well be that the solution of this problem lies in the introduction of legislation on
similar lines to the Clean Air Act in which a period of grace could be allowed before legislation
becomes effective so far as existing premises were concerned provided registration was made
compulsory forthwith for all new catering businesses.
Looking back not only on the immediate past but over a number of years, some facets of the
Food Hygiene problem make themselves more obvious than at the time we were trying to meet
certain shortcomings. Much time and effort has been spent by the catering trade in improving
the structure of their premises and replacing equipment. In addition new establishments have
come into being, with everyone doing their utmost to secure the best possible basis upon which
the business shall be run. Nevertheless, some of these relatively new premises are now in a
state which should give us all cause for concern, officials and proprietors alike. It is obvious
that at the design stage of the equipment, the layout and the adaptation of premises, we did not,
and probably are not at the present time paying sufficient attention to and placing sufficient
emphasis on operational techniques and maintenance practices which will have to be used in any
catering premises, if the original ideals are not to be ruined by the devastation of the daily grind.
It is fatal to these ideals if managements ignore or neglect maintenance and good operational
methods. We make these comments knowing full well the harassing and trying conditions under
which they are compelled to work in the City. It is really hoping for too much to employ anyone
in a catering establishment and expect to get first-class labour capable of adopting good techniques
without some tuition or training. While no doubt s logans, posters, etc. which are addressed
to all and sundry in the catering trade and to no-one in particular, serve some useful purpose,
there is no real substitute for definite training and education in the simpler matters of food
handling.
During the year most Public Health Departments, and the City is no exception, receive varying
types of complaints regarding food handling in general. These complaints are investigated
forthwith but it is surprising to find on enquiry that the majority of complainants have made no
attempt to draw the attention of the proprietor or the manager of the premises in question to their
grievances. We feel sure that many members of the catering world would receive these complaints
in the right spirit and we are sure also that should the members of the public fail to get the
improvements they feel are necessary there are a number of remedies available including the
final sanction of taking their business elsewhere. This applies with particular force in the case
of one's favourite Public House, where usually a different and more intimate relationship exists
between 'mine host"and the patrons. Should direct approach to the Manager fail, again a short
note to the brewer would in all probability achieve the necessary results. In making this type of
approach we are asking the public to help us. After a moment's contemplation it will be obvious
to everyone that greater and quicker improvements would be effected in the general standard of
catering hygiene and food handling if the public took an active part by ventilating their legitimate
grievances on the spot rather than leaving it all to the local authority, whose staff may be already
fully stretched.
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