FOODSTUFFS

Greymouth Evening Star, 24 December 1934, Page 12

FOODSTUFFS

IN HOMES AND-SHOPS. i _— ■ t (Contributed by the Dept, of Health.) ] Health and well-being depend per- < haps more upon the food we eat than ( upon any other single factor m | hygiene, so that the careful selection, j preservation, and preparation of food j are of first importance. At one tune ] the problem of keeping food fresh and ( in good condition in the home was much more difficult than now With , improved methods of transport and distribution it is nearly always possible to obtain frequent if not daily supplies of fresh food from the retailers, so that storage in the home is necessary only a short time and the precautions to be taken; therefoie, much fewer and simpler. Nevertheless, without careful storage and handling of food there will certainly be waste and possibly even danger to health from resulting contamination, or putrefaction. The most perishable i foods, such as milk, cream, butter, | fresh meat, fish, etc., are those which require the greatest care. In many cases house facilities for proper storage are rudimentary or absent. An intelligently planned and built house, even though it be small, is always provided with a well-ventilated safe with a cool aspect. Ice boxes or refrigerators are of course very useful, but even without these assets, by the exercise of a little care and forethought much can be done to protect food and keep it in a good condition. An increasing number of articles of food are supplied by retailers in containers and wrappers which are in themselves excellent protectors against contamination, and when this provision exists it is best to keep the food in them until required. MILK. Milk is one of the most valuable foods but also one which requires most careful handling in its journey from the milking shed to the consumer. When milk is supplied in sterilised bottles it should be kept in the bottle until used, as it is certain that no household utensil can be so clean and afford such complete protection as does a sterilised bottle. The freshness of milk may be prolonged even in hot weather by standing the milk bottle in a basin of cold water and keeping it in an outside safe or air box. When milk is prepared for infants it should be poured into a clean scalded jug. Feeding bottles should be kept scrupulously clean and sterilised before use. The advice of the Plunket nurse is always available with regard to the care and preparation of food for infants. *

MEAT AND FISH. Municipal abattoirs and licensed slaughteryards are subject to careful supervision, and meat both in the live and dead state is under the inspection of Government officials, but equal care is necessary after it is delivered to the shops, and provision for proper storage is essential. It is not within the scope of this article to deal with methods of meat preservation or such processes as canning, pickling, spicing, smoking, etc., However, on a farm when cold storage facilities do not exist, meat may be kept longer by placing it in a safe covered by a cloth, the centre of which is kept in a flat dish of water placed on top of the safe. The cloth becomes saturated with water and so tends to keep the safe and its contents cool. Another common method is to suspend the carcase high in a tree, covered by two clean sacks, the outside one being kept saturated with water. There are other useful variations for producing cold on hot days. In one instance liquid refreshment was placed in a container and covered with a wet bag hung on the back of a motor-car. When the party arrived at its destination after travelling many miles over desert country and under great heat they were treated to some delightfully cooled beverages through this idea. Cold meat and meat preparations such as brawn, meat pies, etc., are readily contaminated and have been responsible for cases of food poisoning where proper precautions have not been taken. Exposure to dust and dirt, to contamination from rats and mice, keeping too long, especially in unwholesome conditidns, may cause these articles to be a source of danger. Protection as by the use of woven wire covers and storage in a fresh cool place is essential. Change in the state of fish is more rapid than in meat in general. It should be rapidly transported to the market and to the home. Crayfish are not readily contaminated after they are boiled provided they are kept intact, and the same applies to prawns and shrimps. Oysters, pipis, toheroas, mussels, etc., should bo only obtained from beds which are known to be free from sewage pollution, and approved by the Marine Department. Shellfish should not bo immersed in waters of harbours or river mouths, owing to possible risk of sewage waters. Shellfish from polluted beds have been responsible for cases of enteric fever.

CAKES, CONFECTIONERY Etc. The practice of protecting these by the use of glass cases, jars, and by the use of clean dustproof and flyproof muslin is to be commended. Fingering should be avoided as much as possible during sale by the use of forks, scoops, and tongs. With regard to fruit and vegetables, these should be otoT ed to prevent possible contamina-

tion from, street dust, dogs, aud other ; sources. They should be carefully cleaned- before consumption, -particularly those eaten uncooked. Water used for the washing of vegetables for the market should be of good quality. In market rooms the handling and storage of fruit and vegetables needs careful supervision. On account of their vitamin contents, raw. salad . foods are a valuable part of diet, and it is important that they should be freely available in as fresh and uncontaminated a condition as possible. Lack of freshness and cleanliness removes their virtue. CLEANLINESS. Though both in the home and in the shop a high standard of cleanliness is usually evident, certain objectionable customs may yet be detected in less enlightened quarters. These are for instance habits such as blowing into a bag to open it, licking the fingers before picking up a paper in which i food is to be placed, handling foods I such as sweets with the fingers, breathing on such objects as drinking glasses or apples before polishing them, and so forth. Employees dealing with food should have adequate facilities for washing the hands and drying them on a clean towel. In places where drinks are served there should be ample opportunity for washing utensils in hot water and drying them on clean towels. It is often astonishing that many people so fastidious in sanitary sense are often in the matter of food found to be lacking in fastidiousness. Of course it is undesirable to become too fussy about food, but an appreciation of cleanliness and intel- . ligejit hygienic handling is essential. All premises used for. the storage, ■ distribution, or sale of foodstuffs l should as far as practicable be made vermin-proof. It is a truism that the lower the standard of cleanliness in reference to the handling and storage of any food, the greater the risk from > harmful contamination. The diminut tion' of human contact and' handling i of foodstuffs, arid a widespread use of machine manipulation for packing and 1 wrapping of the product are safe- □ guards against infection. It should be j borne in mind that under the Sale of I Food and Drugs Act every person com--3 mitts an offence who sells any food E which is unsound or unfit for human t, consumption. There ar-e also regula--3 tions under the Health Act which are r incorporated in most local authority i by-laws to provide for protection from I contamination of foodstuffs during manufacture and sale. In brief these ’ regulations cover persons, premises, and processes, and involve all common j foodstuffs such as milk, meat, bread, > etc., and the duty of seeing that these ' regulations are carried out devolves on the local authorities.