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51
As in the past, we must rely on health education of the food handler
in the hope that he will comply with recognised standards of cleanliness ;
but the clean caterers don't need the advice, and the dirty ones can still
avoid their responsibilities to the public they claim to serve.
The officers responsible for supervising food and catering establishments
are the sanitary officers of the local sanitary authority, and information
regarding their work is contained in my monthly reports to the Public
Health Committee and my annual reports to the Borough Council. In
order to ascertain how far the catering arrangements in school, hospital
and municipal canteens in the Borough comply with the suggestions and
recommendations contained in the Government publications issued during
the past year I arranged for a survey by the Chief Sanitary Inspector, and
fortunately it was possible to complete the survey before the staff of sanitary
inspectors became so seriously depleted.
In order to reinforce my previously expressed opinion that the ideal
form of health education is to practice what we preach, I submit this extract
from the Report of the Catering Trade Working Party.
"We consider in particular that Government Departments, hospital
authorities and local authorities should ensure that catering establishments under
their control should not only be above reproach but should serve as a model of
good construction, good equipment, and good practice. We would urge that
inspection of such establishments and any suggestions made for their improvement
by officers of the local authority should be welcomed by the controlling
department."
The official handbook "Clean Catering"—issued by the Ministry of
Food for the use of caterers—concludes with these words—
"A FINAL WORD. Catering establishments are of many types, and not
all have a ready source of information and service. It is, therefore, worth while
to point out that the local sanitary inspector is not solely an inspector ; he is
well versed in matters of public health, competent to give the caterer advice on
problems of structure, equipment and practices. He should be welcomed as a
friend, and his advice should be freely sought."
TOWN HALL CANTEEN
As the Town Hall Canteen is an undertaking belonging to the category
of those in which it is officially considered that
"Local Authorities should ensure that catering establishments under their
control should not only be above reproach but should serve as a model of good
construction, good equipment and good practice;"
and especially as the kitchen and dining room facilities are available for
use by outside caterers, in March I submitted these recommendations:
(1) That an additional sink be provided for the rinsing and sterilising of
utensils and crockery in the kitchen.
(2) That the draining boards fitted to the sinks should be of stainless steel,
to facilitate cleansing.
(3) That the bare wooden floor in the dining room be suitably covered in
order to facilitate cleansing and promote hygiene.
accompanied by my contention that any municipal undertaking should be a
model of its kind and that Municipal catering arrangements should be an
example to caterers in the Borough.
Since that time these recommendations have been under consideration
by the appropriate Committee; but as there is still some doubt as to the
reason for certain of the recommendations, I submit the following observations.