The Press THURSDAY, MAY 28, 1970. Food-Handling And Hygiene

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32308, 28 May 1970, Page 14

The Press THURSDAY, MAY 28, 1970. Food-Handling And Hygiene

The public should be deeply concerned over the Health Department report this week which found that 88 per cent of eating-houses and food-preparation and food-handling premises in the Christchurch area do not comply with the minimum standards of hygiene which the department believes to be desirable. The staff in these premises need to be much better educated, not only in the requirements of the regulations but in the reasons which lie behind them; they should then be interested in observing the spirit as well as the letter of the law. The department is particularly concerned over the apparent ignorance, laziness, and even stupidity of managers in many premises where, it notes, “in the real sense of the “ cliche, the avoidance of food poisoning and food “ spoilage would seem to be a matter of good luck “ rather than good management ”.

The laws governing food hygiene are being revised at present. Their enforcement is shared between the department and local bodies which license food premises. Clear demarcation of responsibility between central and local authorities is needed; there must also be much greater emphasis on the basic principles of food hygiene. As the report notes, the regulations have hitherto encouraged too much attention to the structural requirements of premises and not enough to the behaviour of people handling food.

The public may well ask why unhygienic enterprises are not being named publicly, or prosecuted. The reason is that they are not breaking the law. The standards which the department considers “ desirable ” are not yet part of the health legislation. Once that is revised there should be a vigorous programme to educate managers, staff, and the public in its requirements. Businesses which fail to comply with the law should be given a reasonable time to put their houses in order. If they continue to flout the law and to endanger public health, prosecution and publicity should soon put them out of business.