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especially with regard to the stalls used for the sale of meat and
fish. Some concern is still felt, however, regarding the stalls used
for the retail trade of biscuits, cakes and sugar confectionery.
It is considered that the only way to ensure the Food Hygiene
Regulations are complied with is to request these stallhoders to
provide their own mobile stalls constructed on a caravan basis,
so that they are properly enclosed and service is only made from
behind a screened counter.
As regards smoking, the main difficulty is that this habit is
so widespread and ingrained and some food handlers, especially
the stallholders, do not appreciate that they should be subjected
to this prohibition whilst the customer is not. Few people appear
to appreciate that the reason for prohibiting the use of tobacco,
including snuff, whilst handling open food is that the habit brings
the fingers into close contact with the nose and mouth, both
possible reservoirs of food poisoning germs, the hands thus become
contaminated and the contamination is then transferred to the
foodstuffs.
During the past year it was necessary to prosecute three
persons for smoking whilst handling open food, these were market
stallholders.
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