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The Committee continued to invite applications for registration in the subsequent months, but the
response was rather disappointing (see Table II). This was partly due to the initial charge of 10s. Od. and to
the fact that some traders knew that their standards were unsatisfactory and it would cost money to raise them.
As usual, those who required most attention from the Public Health Department did not avail themselves of
the advice and assistance offered. Visits by sanitary inspectors were not confined, however, to those who had
made application for registration, and special efforts were made to improve establishments where the standards
were low (see Table III).
The following were examples of unsatisfactory premises:
(1) An underground bakehouse, dark, dirty, with restricted accommodation, had a leaking glass
roof covered with cobwebs dripping dirty rainwater on to baked products;
(2) A kitchen where cooked meats were being prepared had a water closet as part of the kitchen
opening directly into it;
(3) A food factory with indescribably dirty walls, floors, and ceilings, had collections of refuse on
the floor, restricted accommodation, grossly inadequate washing and sanitary facilities, and
inadequate space for storage of dust-bins.
The operation of Section 13 of the Food and Drugs Act, 1938, was handicapped by the fact that Subsection
(h) dealing with the cleanliness to be observed by food employees was too general in character.
Bye-laws under Section 15 of the Food and Drugs Act, 1938, which extended the provisions of Section 13 (h),
were adopted by the Council and came into operation on March 1st, 1950. These bye-laws give details of the
measures required to ensure cleanliness, and exclude those who are carriers of disease from handling, wrapping,
or delivering food. Special conditions for the clean handling of food are made for stallholders and "barrow
boys." The bye-laws also extend Sub-section (i) of Section 13 of the Food and Drugs Act, 1938, for washing
facilities by requiring a notice to be fixed near every sanitary convenience requesting employees to wash their
hands after using the convenience. The provision of adequate washing facilities is still, however, vague and
there is no clarification of Sub-section (i) which refers to "suitable" washing basins within "reasonable"
distance of the room, and a "sufficient" supply of soap, clean towels and clean water, both hot and cold.
It is with regard to these qualifying adjectives that the main differences arise with the food traders, and
it is felt that in certain specific instances it will be necessary to apply to a Court of Law in order to obtain a
correct interpretation.
In January, 1949, the Borough Council recommended that all food handlers should be afforded washing
facilities free of charge at all public conveniences, but this recommendation has not yet been carried out in practice
owing to the inadequacy of washing facilities in the public conveniences.
The appeal to the employees has been mainly through posters, and in this respect, those supplied by the
British Tourist and Holidays Board have been most helpful and have been widely distributed. Lectures of
about 10 minutes' duration with opportunities for questions have been given by the sanitary inspectors to all
the kitchen staffs in the school canteens, but little encouragement has been received from the food traders for
the extension of this service to the staffs of factory canteens, restaurants, etc., even though the public health
staff were willing to fit in with any arrangements the managements were prepared to make. Leaflets and
pamphlets have been issued to the housewives, and a special leaflet was prepared by the Willesden Hygienic
Food Committee for distribution to housewives by the food traders who possess the certificate of registration.
Lectures with film shows and film-strips were arranged for groups of housewives and the work in this respect
is to be considerably expanded in the coming year.
During the whole of the campaign an antagonism between the housewife and the food trader has been
noticeable; each has tended to accuse the other as the sole source of the spread of germs through food. One
of the objects of the campaign was to neutralise this antagonism and prove that both have a part to play in the
clean food campaign in encouraging and assisting the lax trader and the careless housewife in mending and
improving their habits.