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41
and tainted foods. She should demand cleanliness, and buy only
from places that give it. The housewife's duty is to report any
neglect, carelessness or dirty handling to the management or to the
Public Health Department.
There is no doubt that intended new legislation will give
local authorities greater powers to carry out their duties to ensure a
cleaner food supply than this country has had in the past, yet all
the legislation possible does not, and cannot, allow for the element
of human failure, and it is in this connection that the housewife, in
demanding satisfactory display and handling of food in shops,
becomes the first line of defence in a clean food supply. It is the
business of the housewife, after taking the precautions necessary
to purchase clean food, to continue the good work in her own kitchen.
Clean hands and habits, proper storage and protection of food from
insects, rodents, dust and germs, are still major requirements.
But probably the schools, as places of instruction, can give the
best results in this respect—their elders are set in their habits.
It is the duty of the officers of the Public Health Department to
see that the food producer and the retailer give to consumers the
clean food that is their own right. Councils have to enforce the
requirements of the law relating to food, but it should seldom be
necessary for them to use their full statutory powers since, by means
of education and demonstration, traders in food can be encouraged
to regard their products as materials vital to the health of the
community.
Assurance can be given that by co-operation between producer,
retailer, housewife and the Public Health Department, the problem
of safe and clean food can be solved.
A description of Health Education material in the possession
of the department for use in the Clean Food Campaign, is given in
the introductory pages to this report. The display stand, specially
designed for exhibition purposes, is illustrated here.