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protection given to food to prevent contamination is greater than
ever before, particularly food displayed for sale on shop counters
and therefore especially liable to contamination by handling,
coughing or sneezing.
Clean Food Campaign.
•
As in previous years we have relied mainly on personal contact
with food traders at their own premises to impress on them our
ideas about the correct methods of preparing, handling and displaying
food. The goodwill created by the Food Hygiene Guild has been
of great value in this work and has resulted, with very few exceptions,
in ready co-operation between the trader and the Sanitary Inspector.
Regular meetings of the Food Hygiene Guild have not been
necessary during the year but the distribution of badges, plaques
and other display material has continued. It is expected that Food
Hygiene Regulations under the Food and Drugs Amendment Act,
1954, will shortly be issued and if, as expected, a standard equal
to or in advance of Guild standards is laid down, they would have a
far-reaching effect on the constitution of the Guild. The existence
of the Guild would however provide an invaluable method of introducing
new legislation to food traders and ensuring that the
requirements of the regulations will be readily met.
The Council's notice boards in all parts of the district have
again been used for the display of food hygiene propaganda posters
of the type issued by the Central Council for Health Education and
the Ministry of Health.
Hawkers of Food.
The registration of hawkers of certain classes of food has been
compulsory in this district since 1939 and immediately after the
Middlesex County Council Act, 1950, came into force the Council
adopted Section 11 of the Act to extend the registration of hawkers
to cover all classes of foodstuffs. The vehicles and storage premises
used by these traders are regularly inspected by the Sanitary
Inspectors.
Sampling of Food and Drugs.
(a) 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:
293 samples were taken, including 177 of milk; 55 (41 of
which were milk) were found to be unsatisfactory. Successful
proceedings were taken in one instance, the other cases being
dealt with by cautions to the traders concerned.
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