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Milk and Dairies (General) Regulations, 1959
Milk and Dairies (Channel Island and South Devon Milk) Regulations, 1956
Milk (Special Designations) Regulations, 1963
Milk (Special Designations) (Amendment) Regulations, 1972
Labelling of Food Regulations, 1970
Labelling of Food (Amendment) Regulations, 1972
Lead in Food Regulations 1961
Food (Control of Irradiation) Regulations, 1967
Food (Control of lrradiation)(Amendment) Regulations, 1972
Preservatives in Food Regulations, 1962.
The activities of the section over the past year in administering the above statutes, and
generally promoting good food hygiene, can be broadly classified as:-
1. Planned work instigated by the Public Health Inspectors.
2. Unplanned work instigated by external sources.
Planned work instigated by the Inspectors has taken the form of routine visits to the various
catering premises within the City to determine whether or not statutory standards are being
complied with. The discovery of defects led either to written or verbal intimations to the party
responsible for the execution of remedial action. Subsequently, planned re-visits were made to
check upon the effectiveness of the action taken.
Foodstuffs were sampled regularly, in order to determine whether statutory composition and
and labelling standards are being complied with by manufacturers.
Finally, hygiene education lectures were given to the staff of a number of large institutions
within the City.
The unplanned work of the section is instigated by external sources and has involved Inspectors
in a number of different functions:-
INVESTIGATIONS
Complaints from the public are actively investigated and take one of three forms:-
1. Complaints relating to foodstuffs purchased within the City. Each complaint has involved
much detailed investigation, in order to ascertain the relevant facts, obtain the opinion of
retailers and manufacturers involved, and consider these in the light of the Public Analyst's
Report. If appropriate, evidence was then collated for presentation to Mr. Comptroller and
City Solicitor, for his opinion as to whether the facts are sufficient to justify a prosecution.
2. Similarly, complaints relating to the state of premises within the City, or to alleged foodhandling
malpractices therein, were investigated in detail.
3. Complaints relating to illness alleged to result from eating meals within the City are treated
as cases of potential food poisoning until the contrary is proven.
Usually, after detailed investigation, often involving the bacteriological examination of suspected
foodstuffs, it is not possible to prove the existence of food poisoning. However, in one
instance a large outbreak occurred in a staff canteen, involving 133 people, who had suffered from
various symptoms, including diarrhoea and vomiting, and which was attributable to the eating of
a made-up meat food contaminated with Clostridium welchii bacteria. The investigation involved
over three weeks of one Public Health Inspector's time.
Other investigatory work included the investigation of accidents in catering premises, in
accordance with the Offices, Shops and Railway Premises Act, 1963.
Finally, the Inspectors investigated instances of notified infectious disease amongst food
handlers - such as tuberculosis and paratyphoid fever. The objective was to prevent risk to the
public from contacts or carriers, and there was close liaison between the various professional
officers in the Department.
ADVICE
Manufacturers, Retailers and Caterers have increasingly contacted the section over the course
of the year for advice relating to the interpretation of the law concerning food and food-handling
premises. This developing role of the section is referred to in "Observations" below.
The advisory role of the section in relation to new projects has continued over the course of
the year.
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