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FOOD HYGIENE
Food shops appear to be changing hands more frequently than in the past. Sometimes the new occupant has had
no experience in the particular trade. The fact that these people are often of foreign origin with limited understanding
of the language and are completely unaware of the requirements of legislation affecting their business,
does not help matters. There Is still a tendency for certain shops to sell a very wide range of goods so that the risk
of contamination and cross-infection must always be borne in mind.
The remedy for this state of affairs is, in the opinion of the Department, repeated visits by the Public Health
Inspectors in order that the shopkeeper may not only know the Food Hygiene (General) Regulations 1970, but
will understand the true significance and principles upon which the regulations are based. This leads to a much
better state of hygiene than if the owner of the business is expected to obey the rules blindly.
A number of complaints of unsatisfactory foodstuffs have been due to the carelessness of shopkeepers in
allowing goods which are well over the manufacturer's "expiry date" for sale and in fact considerably over their
normal shelf life, to remain on display. Public Health Inspectors are calling the attention of such shopkeepers to
this point and have found several instances of goods being on display where the manufacturer's recommended
date has been ignored. Whether this is due to the goods being kept in shop too long i.e. lack of stock rotation or,
as it is sometimes alleged, the goods being "uplifted" from one shop and delivered to another, is difficult to
decide.
All that we suggest is that the shopkeepers familiarise themselves with the manufacturer's codes, use their own
coding system where goods are not coded and above all practise careful stock rotation.

In addition the following classes of food hawkers and their storage premises are registed under Section 11 of the
Middlesex County Council Act 1950 —
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