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(f) Clean Food Campaign.
During the year the Food Hygiene Guild has continued to
attract new members and at the end of the year the number stood
at 90. It is encouraging to find that 90 food traders in the district
are prepared to accept a liberal interpretation of food hygiene
law and, to some extent, are prepared to exceed legal requirements.
One wishes, however, that having become members of the Guild,
they would make greater efforts to publicise the fact by special
window displays or other methods, in order to keep the existence
and aims of the Guild constantly in front of the public. The
Advisory Committee of the Guild have assisted members with
publicity material by providing a membership certificate, a brightly
coloured paint transfer depicting the Guild symbol for fixing on
shop windows, and lapel badges of similar design for use by
members' assistants.
In October a public meeting, to which all food handlers in
the district were given personal invitations, was addressed by
Dr. W. Howard Hughes, of the Public Health Laboratory Service,
and Mr. Morley Parry, Food Hygiene Advisory Officer to the
Ministry of Food. A small but interested audience heard two
stimulating addresses.
During the year food hygiene propaganda posters obtained
from the Central Council for Health Education have been posted
on the Council's notice boards in all parts of the district and
changed at regular intervals.
(g) Sampling of Food and Drugs.
The sampling of food and drugs for chemical analysis is
carried out by the Middlesex County Council and the following
information regarding samples obtained during the year has been
kindly supplied by the Senior Public Control Officer:
261 samples were taken, including 159 of milk; 14 (all of
which were milk) were found to be unsatisfactory.
(h) Food Poisoning.
During 1952 two family outbreaks of food poisoning, each
comprising two cases, were notified: there were no fatal cases.
In every instance the causative organism was Salmonella typhi
murium. One outbreak was traced to home-made butter, in the
preparation of which the white of a duck egg had been used;
the other outbreak was not traced to a definite source. Neither
of the outbreaks was associated with any form of communal
feeding.
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