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In a full blaze of comings and goings, it is unnecessary to remind ourselves that the holiday season is upon us; mass travel to faraway places. The media have for months, all through the winter, been extolling a surfeit of romantic areas of the world, exspecially on television; of colourful scenes, exotic beauties, brilliant sunshine everywhere; travel mostly by air as so‐called package tours — holidays for the masses! The most popular areas are countries of the Mediterranean littoral, from Israel to Spain, North Africa, the Adriatic, but of recent years, much farhter afield, India, South‐east Asia and increasingly to the USA.

The whole kingdom from north to south at the time of writing is enveloped in freezing Arctic weather, reminiscent of the North Russian campaign of long ago. The normal winter is relatively mild, mainly a Westerly pattern, occasionally wild and windy, wet with a rare cold “snap”. There are variations in the pattern, damp and warm in the south‐west, few frosts and rarely any snow; in the north of the country, Scotland, much colder, with the south‐east partaking of the weather pattern of the land mass of the Continent. The variations appear more of the mild weather in the South and colder, appreciably, in the North; recalling service personnel stationed at Gosport who did not need an overcoat all winter, whereas in the North, many found it necessary to wear a light overcoat tor most of the year, the south‐east corner of England, obtaining no help from the warming Gulf Stream, often gets the worst of the weather, which it has done to a very considerable extent in this winter.

Just a hundred years ago great developments were pending in this country in matters relating to health and to the diagnosis and treatment of disease. It was in 1852 that Pasteur began his epoch‐making researches on the subject of bacterial fermentation. At about the same time the ophthalmoscope was introduced. In 1854 Florence Nightingale was busy demanding reforms in nursing, and in 1855 the hypodermic syringe was invented. In 1858 a register of qualified dentists was established for the first time. But the years 1851 to 1854 were remarkable also for the institution and prosecution for the first time in British history of an active campaign for the suppression of the adulteration of food. There was little knowledge of this subject and almost no laws, with two minor exceptions. It was nominally an offence under a statute of George IV to adulterate bread with alum—but no public official had any duty to enforce it. Also, there were certain Revenue Acts, enforceable by the Customs and Excise Department, which in the interests of the Revenue, not of consumers, forbade the adulteration of certain excisable articles of food. But the machinery of the Department was clumsy and inefficient. To two far‐seeing and very courageous men is due the credit for the overdue enactment in 1860 of legislation intended to protect the public from the wholesale adulteration which was rampant a hundred years ago. One was Thomas Wakley, F.R.C.S., Editor of The Lancet. Wakley in 1851 appointed an Analytical and Sanitary Commission, with Dr. A. H. Hassall, M.D., M.R.C.P., as Chief Analyst, to make investigations on a large scale, and promised that the results would be published in his journal, which would announce also the names and addresses of retailers, and of manufacturers when known, of all articles found to be adulterated. A great number of these reports appeared in The Lancet from 1851 to 1854, and were afterwards reprinted in a book by Dr. Hassall. They threw much light on many black spots. The first subject to be tackled was coffee, which was almost invariably adulterated with chicory. Analytical chemists until then had stated that it was impossible for them to detect the adulteration in their laboratories. But Dr. Hassall was a skilled microscopist, as well as a chemist and a doctor. He was the first person in this country to “ apply regularly and systematically the powers of the microscope to the elucidation of the subject of adulteration ”. He was able to detect by his microscope flagrant and widespread adulteration of the following, among many other, foods :—

One of Her Britannic Majesty's Ministers hanging about outside the Council Chamber while it is deliberated within whether or not Britain is to be admitted to the not so Common Market must present a picture never‐to‐be‐forgotten. Public officers, of course, are accus‐tomed to this when attending selection interviews for appointments, but such experiences invariably make us feel a little like “poor relations.” The controversy of whether we are “in” or “out” then is settled—and we must be under no delusions—for a very long time. As we see it, the French want the densely populated area of Western Europe as an agricultural market for themselves alone. They appeared to be willing to let Denmark in, but they have no intention of letting Britain in to bring the vast Commonwealth agricultural exports with them, via the back door, so to speak. That is the position now and even when “all the kings depart”, it will not change.

Government appointed and sponsored committees of every description—select, ad hoc, advisory, inquiry—such a prominent feature of the public scene since the last War, are understandable, even acceptable, reflect the urgency of the times in which we live. In the gathering gloom of more recent twilight years, they have flourished inordinately, especially in the socio‐political field, where most of their researches have been conducted. Usually embellished with the name of the figure‐head chairman, almost always expensively financed, they have one thing in common—an enormous output of words, telling us much of what we already know. So much of it seems dull, meaningless jargon, reflecting attitudes rather than sound, general principles.

The Commissioner of Public Health by virtue of the powers invested in him under “The Health Acts, 1900 to 1922” has made Regulations dealing with the Manufacture, Storage, Handling, Sale, etc., of Food and Drugs and other closely allied articles. Standards of purity and composition are laid down and most of the articles mentioned are defined. The Regulations have been approved by His Excellency the Governor and will come into operation on 1st May, 1929. These Regulations are very comprehensive, and wide in their scope, and in great contrast to the state of affairs in Great Britain where it would be necessary to search innumerable Departmental Orders, Factory Acts, Bye‐laws, etc., to find any regulations which approach these in their objects or entirety. Owing to absence of similar consolidation many of our regulations are overlooked or neglected. In only a few instances can it be said that we have specific regulations superior to these under review.—The first section contains General Regulations dealing mainly with the labelling of articles. They require that very full information should be stated as to the name and composition of the substance, the name and address of the manufacturer, importer or dealer, and the place of manufacture or origin. These particulars have to be printed on the label in plain letters of special size. The section also deals with the permissible use of specific preservatives and colouring matters, the character and quality of the containers, the allowable limits of poisonous metals, the declaration of net weights and measures, and stipulates the kinds of boiler compositions and vermin exterminators which may be used in food factories. The next section contains Specific Regulations covering all the common articles of Food, Beverages, Drugs, and commonly used substances like Methylated Spirit, Biological products (Anti‐toxins, Sera, Vaccines, etc.), Soap, Disinfectants and Colouring matters. The several articles are defined, whether natural or compounded, and if prepared, details of the methods of manufacture are given, also, in most cases, it is specified how the article concerned should be labelled. Many of these regulations and definitions are worthy of special mention, if only in comparison with the regulations, or want of similar regulations in this Country. To note just a few of the most important:—“Self‐raising flour” and “Baking Powder” must yield not less than forty‐five grains of carbon dioxide per pound, and ten per cent. by weight of carbon dioxide, respectively. “Corn‐flour” may be the starch powder derived from any variety of grain. “Infants' foods” must have statements on the label indicating the composition, source of ingredients and value in calories. “Dripping” and “Lard” must contain not more than two per cent. of free fatty acids, while so‐called “Edible Fats and Oils” must contain not more than one per cent. of free fatty acids. “Sausage meat” must contain not less than seventy‐five per cent. of meat. “Mar‐garine” must contain not less than one per cent. of starch, or, not less than five per cent. of sesame oil. “Milk” is described as the lacteal secretion of the cow. It must be clean and fresh, and must be obtained by completely emptying the udder of the healthy cow properly fed and kept, excluding that got during fifteen days immediately before, and ten days immediately following on parturition. It must contain not less than eight and five‐tenths parts per cent. of milk solids not fat, three and three‐tenths parts per cent. of milk fat, and not less than twelve parts per cent. of total solids; its freezing point must not be higher than 0.55°C., below zero as determined by the Winter method. It must not contain any pathogenic micro‐organisms. It must not contain more than one million micro‐organisms to the cubic centimetre from 1st of October to 31st of March, and not more than five hundred thousand micro‐organisms from 1st of April to 30th September. When subjected to the reductase test it must not completely decolourise the methylene blue in less than three hours. “Coffee” must contain not less than ten per cent. of fat. “Coffee essence” must contain not less than 0.5 per cent. of caffeine. “Coffee and chicory essence” must contain not less than 0.25 per cent. of caffeine. “Cocoa powder” must be free from added alkali. “Soluble cocoa” must not contain more than three per cent. of added alkali. “Chocolate” must contain not less than ten per cent. of fat‐free and alkali‐free cocoa. “Icecream” must contain not less than ten per cent. of milk fat. “Potable waters” must conform to certain bacteriological standards of purity. “Drugs” with certain exceptions, must conform to the standards of the British Pharmacopoeia and British Pharmaceutical Codex. “Soap” must contain not less than fifty‐nine per cent. of fatty acids. “Colouring matters.” A list of thirty‐one permitted colouring matters is given. The third section deals with the conditions under which food may be manufactured, stored, handled and sold. The state of the premises as regards construction, suitability and free‐dom from vermin. These regulations are similar to those contained in some of our Factory Acts and certain local Bye‐laws but appear to be more stringent.—Here again only a few of the more important points can be noted. Transportation of food must be conducted in specially constructed vehicles provided with adequate protection against contamination. No returned food must be resold. Exposed food must be protected against dust and insects. Printed paper must not be used for food wrapping. Dealers in second hand containers are compelled to thoroughly cleanse and sterilise them before re‐sale. The use of food containers for disinfectants or poisons is prohibited. Milk and dairy produce must not be handled by any person suffering from any infectious or contageous disease. Milk vessels must be constructed of suitable materials, be kept in good repair, be properly cleansed and of such a shape as to allow thorough cleansing and inspection. Milk vessels despatched to a retailer must be securely sealed. Any person delivering milk is prohibited from carrying water at the same time. No icecream which has become melted must be re‐frozen. Hotels, Boarding Houses, Restaurants, Refreshment Rooms, etc., must have proper and adequate accommodation for storage of foods and occupiers must take due precaution to prevent contamination. All utensils used must be kept in a clean condition and food must not be served out with the fingers. The occupier is also made responsible for the personal habits of the employees while handling food. Regulations are also made for the construction, maintenance and care of Bakehouses, Soda Fountains, Cold Stores, and Meat and Fish Shops. One section deals with the conduct of the business of a “chemist.” It would have been more suitable if the term “pharmacist” had been used here. Finally it is stated that the fees to be paid for analysis are, twenty‐one shillings for chemical analysis, and forty‐two shillings for bacteriological analysis, a more generous rate of pay than that mentioned in a recent Act passed in this Country. Any person contravening any of these Regulations is liable to a penalty of twenty pounds.

The forty‐seventh annual report of the U.S. Food and Drugs Administration is included in the recently published Annual Report of the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare for 1953. Modern food legislation in Great Britain may be said to have its origins in the series of Acts passed between the years 1860 and 1875, but in spite of the longer history of our legislation this report suggests that U.S. legislation has made greater fundamental progress.

The majority of Authorities who are responsible for the enforcement of that portion of the Food and Drugs Act dealing with the hygiene of food premises have recognised that legislation, even when coupled with regular inspections, is insufficient to produce the desired result. Many of them have embarked upon lectures, others on more lengthy schemes of training for the employees, some have linked this with special standards to be adopted for premises, such as the Clean Food Guild instituted at Guildford, Holborn and other large Boroughs. These standards have met with very mixed receptions from the various organisations of the food traders; some of them adopting the view that establishments of old construction are unduly penalised, as compared with premises of modern design. The consensus of opinion, however, among both the local authorities and food traders, is the desirability of giving training facilities to those engaged in the industry. These courses may range from one to five lectures with a comprehensive syllabus, and are usually accompanied by films such as “ Another Case of Poisoning ”, “ Insect Pests in Food”, and the film strips of the Central Council for Health Education. It is interesting, at this stage, to compare the approach of the American authorities to this problem. Reviewing the United States Public Health Services booklet “ Guide to Safe Food Service ” a similar conclusion has been drawn, that, whilst the prevention of food poisoning outbreaks was at first handled almost entirely through legislation and enforcement, this often proved unsatisfactory and inadequate. Coercion at times was found to create resentment, and often postponed an understanding of correct practices until after Court action had been taken. Another approach was the physical examination of all restaurant workers, but this did not give the desired results; such inspections tending to promote a false sense of security, inasmuch as no examination can ensure freedom from communicable diseases during the period between examinations. Experience with food sanitation courses, as they are termed, soon demonstrated their practicability and effectiveness. It was found that education explained the reasons for the requirements of the laws and regulations and thereby gained acceptance for them; the decisive factor being that such courses were popular and further lectures were requested. Where co‐operation was enlisted by means of these lectures inspectors had far less difficulty in carrying out their work. Frequent inspections should be coupled with the education programme to serve as a reminder of the need to observe correct practices. The recommendations given to the lecturers could well be digested by many in this country. On regular inspections, during the course of his duties, the inspector should build up good working relations as he talks informally with the owner and employees about their problems. He should avoid a policeman's attitude, and, as a good officer of the law, he should carefully refrain from taking liberties with it, As a teacher, he should be careful not to fall into a condescending attitude, and criticisms must be brought out of the realm of fault‐finding. The Guide, a booklet of some sixty pages, gives advice to members of the Health Department on the formation of such a course, and stresses the advisability of having a representative committee to assist in this formation. It has been found, too, in this country that, if food hygiene lectures are to be successful, it is essential that the goodwill and backing be obtained, not only of the trade associations such as the hoteliers and restaurateurs, but of the branches of the respective trade unions representing the employees. In this way specialist lectures to the various groups can be organised, with previous knowledge of the scope and numbers involved. Lectures should be organised within normal working hours, with additional lectures for those for whom this is not practicable. Lectures to employers should, in all cases, be given prior to undertaking the training of their staff. The American method of approaching the problem of lectures has obviously been subject to detailed analysis, and it is felt that the three points given below can be considered with advantage by those responsible for lecturing to food handlers in this country. The methods of presentation should always take into account the fact that—

The addition of nutrient factors, vitamins, minerals, etc., to food to enrich or restore deficiencies in normal concentrations is considered by most people to be a commendable practice, in quite a different category to other food additives, which have little or nothing to do with nutrition and are used mainly for commercial purposes.