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91
(b) Meat and Other Foods
(i) Meat Inspection
Conditions in butchers' premises generally continued to show an
improvement and it was found that traders are most receptive to
suggestions put forward by the Inspectors for the more hygienic handling
of their commodities, but it is a matter for regret that the transport
and handling of meat, before it reaches the butchers premises, still
leaves much to be desired. The attention of the appropriate authority
is called to any instances of unhygienic handling and transport that
come to the notice of the Inspectors.
During the year the attention of the Ministry of Food was called to
an excessive amount of meat that was condemned as being unfit for human
consumption during the particularly warm period, and which appeared to
have been delayed in transport.
(ii) Food Premises
Included among the visits to food premises there were 32 visits to
dairies, 59 to bakehouses and .1,615 to other food premises. All these
figures show a slight increase in the figures for the previous year.
There are two very large dairies and bottling establishments situated
in the borough, from which hundreds of thousands of bottles or cartons of
milk are sent weekly. Many of these are retailed in other districts,
and it is an indication of the care that is taken at these dairies, that
very few complaints are received with respect either to the nature of the
milk or the cleanliness of the containers. In fact such complaints as
are received are usually the result of the unhygienic practice of previous
users of the bottles.
As stated earlier in this Report the Food Hygiene Guild was formed
during the year, and it is pleasing to record that the large majority of
applicants qualified for full membership of the Guild and were subsequently
awarded an attractive certificate. The standards laid down as
a condition of membership are capable of being attained in all, or nearly
all, food premises, and in a large number of cases improvements were
carried out to this end. It was not necessary to institute legal proceedings
in any case to ensure compliance with the requirements of the
Food and Drugs Act insofar as cleanliness was concerned, but a great deal
of time was spent by the Inspectors in their endeavour to Improve the conditions
at premises below Guild standard.
(c) Slaughterhouses
The one licensed slaughterhouse in the Borough was not in operation
during the year.
(d) Bacteriological Sampling
During the year the following samples were submitted for examination:-
Ice Cream - 40 Milk - 88 Drinking Water - 1
Baths water - 9 Mussels - 1 Marshmallows - 1
Jellied Veal - 1
Two samples of Tuberculin Tested Pasteurised milk failed to satisfy
the Phosphatase Test and Ice cream samples were graded as follows :-
Grade 1-25. Grade II - 12. Grade III - 2. Grade IV - 1
(Total 40)