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PORT SANITARY ADMINISTRATION—LONDON (HEATHROW)
AIRPORT
INSPECTION OF IMPORTED FOOD
The Imported Food Regulations require that all food imported is fit for human consumption
and that meat and meat products are accompanied by an official certificate from the country of
origin. This certificate ensures that the meat or the meat from which the product has been manufactured
has been derived from animals inspected before and after slaughter in accordance with
criteria satisfactory to the Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Food and that the dressing,
preparation and packing was carried out with all the necessary precautions for the prevention of
danger to health. By request H.M. Customs detain meat and meat products pending inspection
and other foods are examined when considered necessary. The remaining two larger bonds were
transferred to the Cargo Centre in the Urban District of Staines during January, leaving two agency
bonds operating in this Borough. Imports of food through these are very infrequent. The following
foods were examined:
Article
Dried Meat
Meat pies and pastes
Salad of meat
Tinned meat
Cooked and smoked meats
Bacon and ham
Salami
Sausages
Lbs
51
1,466
1,215
83
282
92
798
1,693
Article
Casings
Fish
Shellfish
Cheese
Fruit
Vegetables
Sugar confectionery
Fruit juice crystals
Dried turtle meat
Lbs
35
446
15
88
12,122
4,895
93
59
3,306
4,895 lbs of food was surrendered as unfit for human consumption.
In addition to imported food through the airport sealed container traffic is now carried into
the Borough from various seaports, mainly Harwich, Liverpool, Newhaven and Holyhead. The
food carried consists of bacon, fresh meat, cheese, sweets, butter and the total weight examined
in 1970 was 269J tons.
IMPORTED FOOD REGULATIONS, 1968
These regulations permit an authorised officer at the port of entry who considers it expeditious
(having regard to the nature of the container in which the food is imported), to defer the examination
of the food until it reaches a specified place of destination elsewhere, provided (a) the importer
gives a written undertaking that the container has been sealed and will not be opened until it
reaches the specified place and (b) notifies the receiving authority—who become responsible
for the enforcement of the Regulations in relation to that food. During the year the effect of the
Regulations became more apparent. Containers, which had not been examined at the docks,
were delivered to firms in the Borough in increasing numbers. Inspection generally was quite
straightforward but in some cases difficulties were encountered for the following reasons:
1. Late notification from the Port Health Authority.
2. Insufficient details—e.g. (i) Incomplete address of consignee, (ii) The importer does not
notify purchaser of lack of inspection at the docks or the purchaser holds a consignment
which has been inspected at the docks waiting for the local authority inspector to visit,
(iii) The purchaser diverts the consignment to storage premises for a short period again
without notification to anyone, (iv) Part of the contents of a container are unloaded at
one premises and the remainder are transported in the container to other premises in the
area of another Local Authority.
3. The purchaser diverts part of the consignment previously notified to one Authority to
another depot in the district of another Authority without notification.
4. Invariably at the time of the inspection the containers have been unloaded because it is
expensive to keep drivers and vehicles waiting and as a result of this, it is often not
possible to inspect the containers themselves.
The regulations do not require the consignee to notify the receiving authority of its arrival
or to hold the food for inspection.
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