[Report 1967] / Medical Officer of Health, Liskeard R.D.C.

  • Liskeard (England). Rural District Council.
Date:
1967
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1967] / Medical Officer of Health, Liskeard R.D.C. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    18/28 (page 16)
    meat inspection service is carried out in the Abattoir. When visits arc made to the butchers’ shops during the course of inspection under the Food Hygiene Regulations, an opportunity is always taken to inspect meat exposed for sale and stored in refrigerators. (2) Food Hygiene Regulations, 1960. The administration of the Food Hygiene Regulations is somewhat difficult in an area which caters for a large seasonal population, as many of the Cafes and Restaurants are closed during the winter months and it is therefore impossible to programme a system of inspection over a period of twelve months as can be done in the case of permanently opened food premises. The other difficulty with seasonal premises is that there is a regular change of staff each year as it is not the practice to retain any during the winter months and it is therefore an uphill fight to educate these people in standards of food hygiene. Fortunately I am able to report that no outbreaks of food poisoning were reported during the year and if this can be taken as a measure of success in the administration of the Food Hygiene Regulations, then one can be satisfied with the results of the work undertaken during the year. It is now becoming common practice in the village shops for open-top frozen food cabinets to be installed. I am afraid many of the proprietors of these shops do not fully understand the correct operation of these cabinets and such matters as stock rotation, the need to prevent overloading and to carry out regular de-frosting is not always adequately appreciated. Many of the butchers’ shops are now selling cooked meat, and during the year efforts have been made to ensure that the cooked meat has been kept separate from raw meat and that separate knives are used for cutting. It has been found that proprietors of these premises do not realise the dangers that can occur through contamination from raw meat to cooked meat. During the year under review major reconditioning was carried out to one bakehouse in the district and the existing coal ranges were replaced bv modern electric appliances. This will enable the premises to be maintained in much cleaner conditions than previously. In the case of one grocer’s shop, a large store extension was built and the premises reconditioned. This was neccessary as previously the premises were so congested that it was impossible to keep them in a clean and tidy condition. A new self- service store was erected in one village and the opportunity was taken to ensure that the premises were so designed, and the type of equipment used were such that it would be possible to maintain it in a clean and hygienic condition. The number and types of food follows :— Number Grocers’ Shops 66 Confectionery 4 Licensed Premises 29 Cafes & Restaurants 33 Butchers ... 17 Hotels & Guest Houses 26 Bakehouses ... 2 Greengrocers ... 1 Clubs ... 5 Food Factory ... 1 Bulk Food Store 1 premises in the Rural District are as No. at No. of No. Premises Premises fitted to where fitted to comply with Reg. 19 comply with Reg. 16 applies Reg. 19 66 4 29 30 30 29 29 33 33 33 17 17 17 26 26 26 2 1 5 2 2 5 1 1 1 1 1