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28
Food Hygiene.
Our efforts to promote high local standards have been continued
and our various food handling agencies do in general make sincere
and successful efforts to meet our wishes. The average small establishment,
has however, a serious lack of space which dictates that their
work must be carried on under great difficulties. This factor, however,
does not explain the fact that far too much food is still handled and
left exposed to contamination by flies, customers breathing over it and
the like and it should not be necessary for the law to be invoked in
order to remedy this situation.
Milk.
Our only local pasteurising plant proved somewhat temperamental
during the year and the results were therefore not up to the
very high standard of efficiency which we desired. It should be noted
that we secure a considerable number of samples from the plant for
phosphatase and methylene blue testing and any departure from the
normal should be relatively quickly ascertained. It is nevertheless
desirable to have plants which do not make such demands upon our
time and analytical resources and the plant in question undoubtedly
was of an old type in which necessarily a somewhat greater strain
than is desirable is placed upon the human element concerned in its
operation. The position was very comprehensively discussed with the
owners of the plant and there is every reason to suppose that the matter
is within sight of a satisfactory remedy.
Instances of this kind throw into relief the very high practical
value provided for us by such as the phosphatase test as when a defect
is indicated detailed step by step investigation into the working of
the plant seems normally and often speedily to bring to light the
defects ascertained by the failure of the milk to the test.
There are 13 milk distributors with registered premises in the
district. There are also 13 firms registered as milk distributors in
Hornchurch whose premises are registered in other districts. In
addition, 32 shopkeepers are registered for the sale of bottled milk only.
The Milk (Special Designation) (Raw Milk) Regulations,
1949, and The Milk (Special Designation) (Pasteurised and
Sterilised Milk) Regulations, 1949 :

Milk Sampling.
The 165 samples of milk taken from the dairies and in the streets
during the course of delivery to customers throughout the year were
submitted to the Counties Public Health Laboratories for testing. 16
samples failed to satisfy the prescribed tests and ihe necessary follow-up
action was taken.