View report page

43
formed with which the Council's Food Hygiene Sub-Committee kept in
contact. The sub-committee favoured the setting up of a guild of food
handlers, with separate sections for the various interests, and for each
of which a code of practice was to be prepared. By the end of the year
the Catering Sub-Committee had prepared a code of practice which could
only apply to that section of the trade. That is as far as the campaign
had progressed by the end of 1948.
Sufficient had been learned from the contact with representatives of
the catering trade to warrant the next step being taken, namely, approach
being made to those engaged in the other branches of handling of food.
The Food Hygiene Committee, too, decided that the time had arrived
that steps should be taken to constitute an Advisory Committee. At
their meeting on July 1st, the Council accepted the recommendation of
the Public Health Committee "That the Council hereby approve of
the setting-up of the Harrow Food Hygiene Advisory Committee, to
comprise eight tradesmen representatives and the members of the Food
Hygiene Sub-Committee."
All representatives of the various sections engaged in the handling
of food apart from the caterers, were invited to a general meeting. This
was very well attended, and from it sub-committees were appointed for
each of the other seven sections of the food trade, namely, bakers,
butchers, confectioners, fishmongers, greengrocers, grocers, and retailers
of ice-cream. Each of these sub-committees met on various occasions
and agreed on a code of practice appropriate for each section.
At their meeting on the 12th July, the Food Hygiene Advisory
Council considered its constitution, standing orders and rules of procedure.
At their meeting on the 11th October, they recommended (1) that steps
be taken to set up an organisation in the district to be known as The
Harrow Guild of Food Hygiene; (2) that a letter together with a copy
of the relevant code of practice be addressed to all food traders in the
district, inviting application for membership of the guild, the conditions
of membership being that the premises were of a satisfactory standard,
and those engaged in them would comply with the relevant codes of
practice; (3) the issue of a suitable certificate to establishments, as members
of the guild be approved.
At their meeting on December 20th, the Advisory Council had approved
the form of certificate the members of the guild are entitled to
exhibit, and it is hoped that the public will look for this when entering
any establishment in which food is sold or handled. By the end of the
year 174 applications had been received, and a beginning made of the
inspection of the premises.
It is felt that an important part of this campaign is the stimulation
of interest and the education of those actually dealing with food. A trial
series of five lectures was, therefore, arranged, in collaboration with the
Education Authority, to which were invited members of the catering trade.
The lectures were held in the evening. This perhaps accounted in part
for the poor attendances, which were sufficiently low as to raise doubts as
to the advisability of running any more on the same lines. Another line
to be followed with, it is hoped, greater success, is the instruction of