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The public would be wise to buy their cooked meats and similar meat
products from clean shops which keen these foods in refrigerated cabinets.
Even then one has to be selective. We found several of these cabinets where
the temperature was still too high. The better shops keep a thermometer in
the cabinet, and this should read about the 40 F mark.
Restaurants and catering establishments are required by law to keep these
foods under refrigeration and similar legislation is long overdue in the
remainder of the food industry. It should embrace both the producer and
wholesaler, as well as the retailer, because our sampling revealed that many
of these foodstuffs were delivered to the retailer in an unsatisfactory condition.
It is also recommended that it should be obligatory to provide and use an
effective system of sterilisation for utensils and equipment which are liable
to come into contact with the meats- Education of staff is also a necessity,
and it would be helpful if, whenever practicable, persons engaged in handling
these foods were given a specialist status This would make training easier
and control better.
TYPHOID IN ABERDEEN
The outbreak in May soon produced effects in Chingford. When the Medical
Officer of Health of Aberdeen announced that the origin was corned beef, I
asked the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food to supply the names of
the brands concerned. They stated that there was no evidence that corned
beef was the cause of the outbreak and advised no action.
This could not be accepted, and all retailers in the Borough, on the
advice of the Public Health Department, withdrew their stocks. They were,
without exception, anxious to co-operate. Subsequently, the Minister of Health
concluded that corned beef was the origin of the typhoid and advised withdrawal
of various suspect brands. These were searched out and other stocks were
eventually released.
The Milne Report on the outbreak confirmed the firdings of our bacteriological
investigation, reported above, that refrigeration of cooked meats at
or below 40 F is essential. The Milne Report only recommends refrigeration
"on display for sale". This would be better than nothing, which is the
present position. However, bacterial contamination and multiplication can
and does take place at all stages between manufacture and display for sale.
This we have found from sampling at the point of delivery to shops. In my
view, those food products which are ideal media for bacterial growth should
be protected by refrigeration at all practicable times and statutory bacteriological
standards laid down for them to comply with.