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Clean Food Guild.
Towards the end of 1949, the Corporation approved and supported the
formation of the Clean Food Guild. The Guild was started by inviting traders
from main branches of the food industry to a meeting; the project was warmly
welcomed. The organisation is independent of the Corporation. It controls
its own activities and finances through a Guild executive committee which
consists of eleven food traders, six members of the Public Health Committee
and one representative of the Food Control Committee. During the year the
Guild has been in operation an executive committee meeting has been held
once a month, at which the Chief Inspector or I have attended to give
technical advice and help.
We have drawn up codes of practice for each of the principal food trades.
These codes deal with numerous matters such as cleanliness of rooms, ceilings,
walls and floors, maintenance of furniture and equipment; drains, lighting,
ventilation, and water supply; toilet and hand-washing facilities for staffs,
toilet hygiene and cloakrooms; personal cleanliness, training and education of
staff. They deal also with the storage and display of food, methods of handling
food, wrapping, dish washing, smoking and illnesses of staff. The Guild has
accepted these codes of practice as a standard to which all its members will
comform. There are now 49 registered members in the Guild, and a further
five applications waiting to be dealt with. Applications come in every month
and those whose standards are high enough to warrant admission to the Guild
are accepted on the recommendation of the Chief Inspector. There is no
doubt about the enthusiasm and interest of the members; indeed they have
contributed among themselves subscriptions varying from one to five guineas
for the purpose of advancing the scheme.
Bye-laws.
The Corporation has recently made bye-laws which deal with the handling,
wrapping and delivery of food. The bye-laws make legal requirements for
preventing food infection by infected persons, or by dirty animals or insects.
Food must be kept covered; counters, slabs, fittings and apparatus, utensils
and crockery must be kept clean. Clean wrapping paper and clean delivery
vehicles are required, and many allied matters.
But no amount of legislation will ensure clean safe food unless the food
handlers themselves adopt clean safe methods. The best way of achieving
this is by education and persuasion. The Corporation have recently approved
a training course for food handlers, in which they will be taught the principles
of safe food handling. Other courses will follow in the future. The public can
assist in this campaign by insisting on clean handling in all food establishments
and by refusing to patronise traders whose methods are disreputable. In order
to enable the public to understand the nature of the problems, the Guild has
invited representatives from women's organisations in the town to attend
Guild meetings from time to time; my staff and I have given public lectures,
and the Guild, in co-operation with the health department, had a stand in
the Twickenham Trades and Industries Fair last September. In all these ways
we have tried to make the public aware of the differences between hygienic
and unhygienic practices, and to object when they encounter bad methods
in shops and restaurants. I would like to see all school children taught the
elements of food hygiene and I would still more like to see all schools with
the facilities and equipment necessary to practise it.
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