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7
FOOD POISONING
Number of cases notified 10
Number of deaths Nil
The ten cases of Food Poisoning notified during the year were
isolated cases and mostly the illnesses were slight and of short duration.
Bacteriological investigation was carried out in most of the cases, and in
only one was the infecting organism discovered, and found to be
Salmonella typhi murium.
FOOD
Constant supervision has been maintained over premises and
persons engaged in the storage, preparation and distribution of food.
The general standard appears to have improved slightly and it has only
been necessary to caution traders in one or two cases.
The introduction of the new Food Hygiene Regulations will go
some way to instilling into food handlers the doctrine of Clean Food.
Fingers are used for handling open food very much more often than
need be, behind the scenes, especially in Butchers' Shops and Cafe
kitchens. It is noticeable, however, that the amount of food which
is actually exposed to handling in shops is decreasing, and there is a
welcome increase in prepacked articles. The new requirements for
the provision of proper wash-hand-basins, with hot and cold water,
in addition to proper sinks, should help to emphasise to food handlers
the vital necessity for clean hands at all times.
The new Food and Drugs Act tightens up the labelling requirements
in respect of articles of food sold. As an example " cream " buns
must contain only real cream. If imitation cream is used this must be
clearly indicated.
HOUSING
The acute shortage of housing accommodation in the District
continues to have an overriding influence on the policy being followed
in dealing with sub-standard houses.
Although the Council is under no legal obligation to rehouse
families displaced from individual unfit houses, nevertheless, there is a
distinct moral obligation to do so because these families cannot otherwise
secure suitable alternative accommodation. With Clearance
Areas, however, the Council must be able to state that they can, and
will, rehouse families displaced. Having regard to the relative urgency
of the worst cases on the Housing List, as compared with families
living in unfit houses, the rate of progress in closing unfit properties
must necessarily be slow. There is, unfortunately, a considerable
lapse of time, usually many months, before a family can be rehoused
after a decision has been taken to close the house, and it now appears,
as a result of a High Court decision, that the Council should not