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42.
The preparation and introduction of new food legislation has been a
significant feature in food hygiene during the year.
The Food & Drugs Act 1955, which consolidated and amended previous
Food Legislation, became operative on the 1st January 1956.
Under the Food & Drugs Act 1955, the Minister is empowered to make
Regulations. Throughout the year food traders, trade organisations and
other official bodies have continued discussions and made recommendations
to the appropriate Government Departments on Draft Food Hygiene Regulations.
Regulations known as the Food & Drugs Hygiene Regulations 1955, came into
operation with the Act on 1st January 1956.
A great deal of publicity and speculation prompted Trade Associations
to advise their members as to the ultimate effect this new legislation was
likely to have upon them, and steadily a consciousness was in evidence
amongst the food traders for a desire to gain as much information as
possible in readiness for any measures they may be requested to adopt to
comply with the new law.
Health Education in general, with particular emphasis on Food Hygiene
has been pursued by the Sanitary Inspectors by private discussions with
employers and employees in food establishments and by talks and lectures
to various Public Bodies and Organisations and these efforts will be
continued.
Whilst the new legislation is welcomed, its implementation in the
year ahead will tax our depleted staff of Sanitary Inspectors to the
utmost for not only do food shops and food stalls, cafes and restaurants
come within the scope of the new Act but in addition food premises
previously outside the jurisdiction of food legislation now come within
this administration.
To stimulate food traders in raising standards of food hygiene a
highly successful pictorial exhibition of food establishments was held in
Shoreditch Town Hall for two days in November this year. Six neighbouring
Metropolitan Boroughs co-operated and about 450 food traders and others
visited the exhibition. The purpose of the exhibition was to display the
improvements that traders were adopting to raise the standard of food
hygiene and to encourage others to follow their good example. Many
subsequent improvements in food premises during the year are known to be a
direct result of this exhibition.
The increasing publicity given in the Press to food hygiene resulted
in the public bringing to the notice of the department many oases of
alleged unsound food sold. Many of the articles brought to the notice of
the sanitary inspectors contained trivial items of foreign substances but
in all cases the complaints were fully investigated and although this
entailed much valuable time it was felt that the time spent was well