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60
section III.—food supply.
At the beginning of 1930 the method of supervision was considerably
altered. Hitherto this form of inspection was carried out
by four of the inspectorial staff, who covered the whole Borough.
To avoid duplication, which was inevitable where two sets of
inspectors were employed, and in order to have smaller districts,
the work of food inspection was transferred as part of the district
sanitary inspectors' duties. Twelve of the fourteen district inspectors
are qualified in food inspection, the work of food inspection
in the remaining two districts being carried out by inspectors in
adjacent districts. The work is supervised by the Chief Sanitary
Inspector and the Deputy Chief Inspector, who also hold the
necessary qualifications.
Each district inspector is responsible for the examination of
all foodstuffs exposed or deposited or in preparation for sale in
shops, wholesale and retail markets, hotel and cafe kitchens, etc.,
together with the methods used in the preparation of the foodstuffs,
the storage places and the premises. This method of inspection,
along with the frequent sampling of all articles of food, is
intended to procure for the public a wholesome supply of pure,
unadulterated food.
Refrigeration is adopted in some form by large numbers of
traders in foodstuffs; by this means the articles are kept in better
condition than was the case prior to the introduction of legislation
prohibiting the use of certain preservatives in foodstuffs. There is
no doubt that this greater cire in storage, in addition to the packing
of foodstuffs in hygienic containers, is responsible for the
absence of illnesses reported as being due to unsound foodstuffs.
The district inspectors also supervise the private slaughterhouses
and carrv out the inspection of the dressed meat. The
whole of the animals slaughtered for human consumption in the
Borough are examined; this examniation necessitates the inspectors
being on duty long after the ordinary recognised hours.
The public slaughterhouses are under the control of the superintendent,
who also acts under the supervision of the Chief
Sanitary Inspector.
During the year there were 40,333 animals slaughtered for
human consumption, these figures being a decrease of 15,209 on
those for the year 1929.