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34
Ice Cream Premises.
52 premises were registered during the year, making a total of 307
premises on the Register. 440 inspections were made. It was found
necessary to take legal proceedings in two cases for (a) exposing ice cream
to contamination, and (b) for failing to register premises. As the law stands
the Council has no power to refuse to register any application in spite of
the condition of the premises. It would be a great advantage if the Council
had power to refuse registration of premises altogether if in the opinion
of the Medical Officer of Health the premises are unsuitable for the manufacture
or storage of this commodity.
Imported Foods.
Our practice in dealing with imported foods which are diseased, unsound,
unwholesome, or unfit for human consumption, is as follows:—
Meat, including Canned Beef, Mutton and Tongues and fresh meat,
are allowed to go to a fat renderer for the extraction of fat, the residue
is made into artificial manures. The cans are spiked before leaving the
wharves for the fat works, or there is actual supervision of the process
by a representative of the Public Health department on arrival at the
fat works.
Fruits (canned and fresh) and Fish are destroyed by fire at our
destructor, or after being cut open there, are mixed with the street refuse
and removed by barge on to the land.
Dried Fruits containing an excess of preservative, and sausage casings
affected with a parasite are allowed export upon request. Otherwise
they are destroyed at the Council's depot.
Application is sometimes made by owners of canned meats and milk
to be allowed to sell to farmers. This is allowed only when the Medical
Officer of Health into whose district they may be going, gives his
permission and undertakes to supervise the utilization of the foodstuffs.
The considerations which influence the decisions in dealing with various
foods are as follows:—
Sugar damaged with water—either sea or fresh—is allowed to go
for refining purposes at a local refinery.
Tea damaged by water of any kind and oils or contaminated with
foreign matter such as metal or floor sweepings is allowed to go for export
to America for the extraction of Caffeine.