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16
Notifications of food poisoning have, as we all know, greatly
increased throughout England and Wales during the past few
years due, in part, to the administrative measures which increased
the proportion of the outbreaks notified whilst the use of the
Public Health laboratory service has increased the number of
cases reported.
The real and substantial increase however, has been mainly
due to three causes and as these are not generally known I think
they are of sufficient importance and interest for me to quote the
following extract from a report of the Chief Medical Officer of
the Ministry of Health.
"The first of these is the retention overnight and
reheating of meat dishes cooked the day before they are
to be eaten in consequence of the necessity for economy in
using rationed meat supplies. The second is the great increase
in communal feeding in school, mine and factory
canteens ; in these the practice of cooking meat or gravy in
large containers the day before they are to be eaten is
dangerous, for the large containers cool slowly and may, for
many hours, maintain a temperature favourable to the rapid
multiplication of organisms which the reheating temperature
is too low to kill. The third case is neglect of personal
hygiene often due to lack of facilities, rationing of supplies
and shortage of staff, though in some outbreaks the standard
of kitchen hygiene was high ".
No outbreak was reported due to freshly cooked joints of
fresh meat eaten hot but 195 were due to processed, made up
or reheated meat.
A circular embodying the above was sent out during the
year to all restaurants, cafes and factory canteens in the district.
There is some gratification in being able to report that,
although a few isolated cases have been reported, no outbreak of
food poisoning has occurred in this district for some years.
For the purpose of abating nuisances or executing repairs
to houses the following notices were served :—
Preliminary 145
Abatement 50
Informal (dustbin only) 3
Formal (dustbin only) 1