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FOOD CONTROL
There was no new major legislation on food and drugs control during 1958,
and the main part of the work in this section was devoted to consolidation of
the improvements obtainable as a result of the Pood and Drugs Act, 1955, which
came into force in 1956.
It is, of course, desirable that every food establishment should be visited
at least once during the year, but this was not possible during the year under
review because of the heavy work involved in housing surveys required in connection
with Clearance Areas etc., and also due to the prolonged and fatal illness
of one of the Public Health Inspectors. However, in visits connected with
unsound food or complaints of food quality, the opportunity is taken to suggest
improvements in hygiene, both equipment or method, and these visits act as supplements
to the routine visits.
The general public is encouraged to bring to the notice of the Department
complaints with regard to unsatisfactory conditions in food shops and catering
establishments, and the fact that during the year the number of these complaints
was small is taken to indicate that standards are slowly improving. There is
evidence in many shops of an increased interest in food hygiene as displayed by
the greater use of wrappings for foodstuffs and the provision of screens and
barriers to prevent contamination either by insects, food handlers or the customers
themselves, who are very often now the worst offenders with regard to food
hygiene. Many customers still wish to handle their prospective purchases to
feel for quality, and in the course of choosing certain articles may be picked
up and rejected several times before sale. This of course constitutes a health
hazard and is a most unhygienic practice, so that a barrier between the food and
the customer is needed.
Under the Pood and Drugs Act, 1955, it was required that mobile traders
should have available suitable facilities for hand washing. By this year this
requirement had been fully satisfied in respect of the mobile icecream vendors,
and work to bring other mobile traders vehicles up to standard was continuing.
NUMBER AND TYPE OF FOOD PREMISES IN THE BOROUGH
Bakers and Confectioners 17
Butchers 41
Club Canteens 16
Confectioners (Sweets) 100
Cafes, Restaurants, Dining Rooms and Snack Bars 72
Factory and Staff Canteens 53
Fishmongers 14
Greengrocers and Fruiterers 55
Grocers and Provisions and General Stores 115
Ice Cream Manufacturers 4
Public Houses and Off Licences 78
School Canteens 18
Total 583
ICE CREAM
The Ice Cream (Heat Treatment etc.) Regulations 1947/52
Observations as laid down in these Regulations were made on the four premises
where manufacture of ice cream was carried out.
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