FOOD PROTECTION

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22934, 12 January 1938, Page 5

FOOD PROTECTION

HINTS FOR HOT WEATHER CONTAMINATION .BY INSECTS DANGER OF SMALL HOUSE FLY With the advent of hot weather the insect eggs that have been waiting j during the cold weather hatch out and become nuisances and dangers. Moths, siiverfish, etc., take a toll of our pockets, but are not dangerous to our health. Flies of various kinds also appear at this time, and represent a considerable danger to the health of the community, states an Australian writer. There are many species of blowflies, but they all lay their eggs and grubs on dead animal tissues. Some are a j source of trouble and expense to sheep breeders and woolgrowers, but the problem that concerns us is the common species that attacks the meat and other foods in the pantry. Those not j only contaminate the meat, but they have bred in filthy surroundings and carry mechanically 011 their feet and bodies , a great variety of disease germs. Germ Carriers Tests have befin made .by exposing decomposed matter coloured with blue powder and hanging meat some hundreds of yards away. In a few hours the meat is covered with blue spots and every blue spot means that millions of germs have been carried in this way. „ Much intestinal trouble of children and adults is conveyed in this way. The remedy lies in scrupulous care in the storage of food and the prevention of collections of dead animal material in which the flies can breed. The latter is largely a Government or municipal responsibility, but in rural districts it is also the job of the farmer. Every householder should see that meat, milk and other foods are covered with flyproof netting: or kept in flyproof cupboards. Wire screens on | all doors and windows in places where (lies are numerous are important. The small house fly is less obvious than the blowfly, but plays a far larger part in the dissemination of disease. There are several species of it. Some of these inflict a painful sting, which may cause a poisoned wound, but the mcst danger lies in the common house fly. This has been proved to be the carrier of typhoid fever, infantile abdominal troubles, and "bungy blight." The role of the common fly in carrying the germs of infantile intestinal diseases is of the utmost importance. Some years ago the mortality among babies under one year from intestinal disease was several times as high as at present. Protection Against Flies The destruction of the breeding places of flies and the care of feeding utensils has saved thousands of babies. This is one of the main reasons for the drop to half of the total infantile

mortality. Where flies can have access the mouths and faces of babies, especially during sleep, must be protected from flics bv nets or otherwise, and all bottles, milk, and other foods must be constant!v guarded against even one fly. This is done bv net covers or bv* storing under water. "Bungy blight" is a serious disease of the "eyes in country districts. The eyes become inflamed and discharge matter, and neglected cases may lose their sight. Protection from flies And early treatment if infected give the only safety.