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Quite apart from the legal consequences of the above practices, I am sure you will
appreciate the importance of good hygiene behind the bar.
Any of the Public Health Inspectors will be pleased to visit you upon request to give
any further advice or assistance.
Yours faithfully,
(Sgd.) W.G. SWANN
Medical Officer of Health,
Port and City of London. "
2. Warm weather during the summer months contributed towards the high number of complaints
about mouldy or decomposed foods. Surprisingly, in many instances premises were discovered
without refrigerated display facilities, and in other cases stock rotation of perishable foods
was inadequate.
In one instance a cafe proprietor had retained a pork pie for five days prior to its sale,
and the pie was subsequently sold in a highly decomposed condition. A prosecution on
behalf of the Corporation resulted in the cafe proprietor being fined £5 and ordered to pay
£28 towards the cost of the prosecution.
3. On a number of occasions major works involving new catering units or alterations to existing
units were begun without the Department having been asked to comment upon the proposed
works, and some of these projects were subsequently discovered to be badly planned to such
an extent that it would be unlikely that the completed premises when in use would satisfy the
Food Hygiene Regulations. Architects were contacted and informed of the observations of the
Public Health Inspector. The subsequent alterations to plans and implementation of necessary
structural work inevitably resulted in heavy expenditure and delay.
4. During the course of the year two food handlers were discovered to have active pulmonary
tuberculosis, and arrangements were made by the Health and Welfare Officers to have all
contacts X-rayed. The Public Health Inspectors were concerned with reducing risk to the
public and improving the factors in the working environment, such as ventilation and overcrowding,
which could influence the spread of the disease amongst workers.
5. Particular attention was given to health education, and accordingly a number of lectures were
given to food handlers and representatives of various organisations within the City.
Many food hygiene malpractices,such as serving beer spillage, inadequate stock rotation,
and lack of personal hygiene, are attributable to lack of knowledge of the dangers inherent in
such practices. The long-term remedy lies in education of food handlers, in order to change
attitudes which may have taken many years to develop.
Even at senior management level, particularly with regard to new projects.it is frequently
necessary to educate management and convince them that good kitchen design is important.
Generally, hygiene education at senior management level is necessary to ensure a lasting
change in policies and practices.
CONCLUSIONS
Although it has not proved possible either to conduct an inspection over the year of all of the
City's 1,300 food-handling premises, or to conduct a comprehensive programme of hygiene
education lectures, I am pleased to note the success of the unplanned work of the section and the
fact that the investigating and advising work of the Public Health Inspectors has resulted in a
steady improvement in conditions. Furthermore 273 written notices and 138 verbal instructions
were given to the occupiers of food-handling premises over the course of the year.
SAMPLING UNDER THE FOOD AND DRUGS ACT, 1955
As in previous years samples of various foodstuffs, purchased by the Sampling Officer,
constituted a representative cross-section of articles of food in regular use.
Of the 314 samples purchased, only 22, or approximately 7 per cent, were the subject of an
adverse report by the Public Analyst. Most of the irregularities referred to infringements of the
following regulations:-
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