View report page

20
The quantity of ice-cream sold in the United Kingdom increases each year and it is estimated that
more than 100 million gallons of ice-cream are now manufactured annually.
Preserved Food.
There are 126 premises registered for the preparation or manufacture of sausages or potted, pressed,
pickled or preserved food intended for sale; 268 inspections were made and informal action was taken
to remedy unsatisfactory conditions found from time to time. Details of the classes of premises registered
are given in Table 16, page 34.
Catering Establishments.
There are in the borough 740 premises of this type, details of which appear in Table 17, page 34.
During the year 1,642 inspections were made and, generally, the caterers concerned were co-operative
with the officers of the department in their efforts to maintain improved conditions in the storage,
preparation and serving of foodstuffs. There was evidence among some proprietors and staff of these
establishments of a growing realisation of the need for good hygiene. Unfortunately, however, there
were many instances of failure to maintain satisfactory standards within a short period of such
standards having been achieved by some special effort, and constant supervision by the Public Health
Inspectors is necessary. In one particularly bad case, after due warning, legal proceedings, under the
provisions of the Food Hygiene Regulations, 1955, were taken against the proprietor for running a
food business in insanitary premises. The Court made an order disqualifying the defendant from using
the premises as a catering premises for a period of two years and imposed fines (on 15 summonses)
totalling £62.
Food Inspection and Hygiene.
Fifty years ago the Council, on the advice of the then Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Meredith
Young, decided it was necessary to appoint a Sanitary Inspector "to give undivided attention to
the safeguarding of the public food supply." Since that time, among the many changes which have
taken place is the great increase both of the number of premises where food is sold or handled and
of the legislation to control its composition, production, marketing and handling has greatly
increased. Over the years adulteration ot food, in its more audacious forms, became less common
and the enforcement of minimum legal standards removed public anxiety. Following this, the public
gradually awakened to the need for clean food, and the recent Food Hygiene Regulations were
designed to secure this end. The Regulations were made under the Food and Drugs Act, 1955, but
are primarily concerned with the protection of the public health. Even at this early stage, the
temper of opinion on food hygiene indicates that there exists a growing impatience among the
public. They want food to be produced, stored, handled and sold in a clean environment for the
sake of cleanliness itself but achieving these conditions is sometimes impeded by having to
prove that the public health is endangered.
The number of cases of food poisoning notified nationally is still very high and probably only
represents a small proportion of those actually occurring. Education of food handlers in the reasons
for observing hygienic practices can make a worthwhile contribution in curbing this high incidence.
Unfortunately, however, much of the work in the food industry, particularly the retail trade, is so
unrewarding and unattractive that many of the employees are below the standard desirable for food
handlers. Many of them display little sense of responsibility and seem incapable of appreciating their
obligations under the Regulations. Therefore, our principal weapons in the fight against food poisoning
are still regular inspection and supervision to ensure the maintenance of a high standard in all food
premises. In St. Marylebone the day-to-day enforcement of food hygiene requirements is the duty
of three Inspectors. Two are responsible for supervising the catering establishments and the
other is both food sampling officer and hygiene inspector for all retail, wholesale and manufacturing
food premises. It is necessary for them to make regular visits to the 1,341 food premises and failure
to do this results in a rapid deterioration in conditions while regular visits by Inspectors are found to
stimulate proprietors to sustain their efforts. The number of visits is, however, limited by the detailed
inspection necessary and the need to observe operations in progress in a food room, both time-consuming
tasks, and by the fact that discussions can often only be held during brief spells between
customers. Self-service shops have increased nationally from approximately ten in 1947 to probably
more than 10,000 now. This trend has resulted in the majority of foods being pre-packed with the
attendant hygienic advantages. The small grocer in the side street, in a desperate attempt to maintain
his trade, often introduces self-service in a modified form. The introduction of deep-freeze display
cabinets enables him to extend his scope to fresh meat and fish products. Together with the growth
of pre-packaging there has developed amongst the purchasing public an individual brand preference
in almost every labelled product. It is often the attempt by the small trader to cope with this selective