Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-01-09
Agricultural Help
FOOD SANITATION.
improvements in Conditions Under
Which Foods are Manufactures,
Stored and Dispensed.

| During the past year much has beer
heard in the State in regard to the
/ sanitary clause of the food law, which
| reads as follows: For the purpose
| of this act an article shall be deemed
to be adulterated. in the case of food
if in the manufacture, sale, distribu-
ton transportation or in the Offering
or exposing for sale, distribution OF
| transportation, it is not at all times
securely protected from filth, flies, dust
or other contamination, or other UNI
clean, unhealthful or unsanitary con-
ditions."
Aside from the aesthetic reasons for
| the above clause are the more impor-
| tant ones that flies carry upon them
| the germs of dangerous disease. that
| the dust of the city streets and i'll the
| crowded store often contains germs of
| the same dangerous disease, and that
| whenever people talk or laugh there is
| unavoidable a fine spray which flies
from the mouth and which falls upon
! whatever may happen to be in front.
| Should the person in question be suf-
| fering from any throat or lung affec-
| ton and should there be foods upon
| the counter. upon the shelf, or upon
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| nation, the germs of possible fatal
! illness are deposited. Just how much
| the exposure of foods to these means
| of contamination has been in the past
| responsible for epidemics of diptheria,
! typhoid and other dangerous diseases
| it win never be possible to ascertain,
| but there IS no doubt whatever but
| that these means have been response
| BILE for a large amount of illness and
suffering. These are facts which it is
| impossible TO successfully deny, for
| they have been absolutely proven. The
Director of the Maine Agricultural
| Experiment Station is the executive
| of the Maine Food Law and during the
past year his deputies have been con-
stantly upon the watch for unsanitary
conditions and it is a pleasure to be
able to report that much Improvement
| has been brought about in the way in
which foods are manufactured. stored
and dispensed. In many stores where
confectionery or other foods Were for
merly exposed upon the counter with
| out any protection whatever, new dis
| play cases have been installed in one
instance at the expense of at least
1
| along the streets it will be noted that
| at many confectionery stores. candy
| shops, bakeries. restaurants. etc, there
| have been partitions erected at the
rear of the show windows so as to
| completely close them and thus protect
| the goods there displayed from dust,
| flies and other unsanitary conditions.
| In other stores glass jars or tops have
| been obtained and are now used to
| cover all foods which formerly were
| displayed without any protection
| whatever. In many instances side
walk displays have been eliminated en-
| tirely In one particular instance to
| which criticism had pointed many
| times 1t had been the practice for
| years TO have a number of meat carts
| drawn up in a certain square in one
! of our cities from which meats We're
| dispensed to the public without any
| protection whatever from the dust
| which is constantly whirling and the
| iiies which congregated in large num-
| bers and which literally swarmed upon
| the meats. The fronts of the carts in
| question have been enclosed by glass
| partitions and screen doors have been
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| has to step inside now and there finds
| the goods displayed behind glass and
| quite thoroughly protected. Several
| bakeries which were actually filthy
| have been cleaned up so that they are
| now in presentabie and fairly sani-
| tary condition.
| During the course of the inspection
| many conditions have been revealed
| which would be thoroughly disgusting
to the reader We're they to be enumer-
ated, but as these conditions have been
| greatly improved or entirely eliminat-
ed there is no cause to alarm the pub
| lie regarding conditions which no lon
ger exist. These. however, are a mat
| ter of record in the office. The more
| progressive dealers in food stuffs are
| realizing that Wern ii not for the re-
| quirements Of the food law public SEN
| t1ment is beginning 10 demand clean,
sanitary foods, ana that it is advan-
tageous to them TO. have stores and all
the surroundings and all the circum-
Stances under which foods are kept as
attractive as it is possible TO make
| them.
Except in the case of a few dealers
| III one CITY there mas Deen Httle. OPP
position to the requirements of the
Maine Food Law in this respect Oc-
casionally some short-sighted dealer
refuses TO obey the law until a case is
brought against him in court. Some
dealers also are careless and after a
short period of compliance with the
requirements lapse again into former
methods of careless handling of foods
and these dealers have to be constant
| ly watched and reminded that the
sanitary regulations are not TO be en-
forced spasmodically but constantly,
indiscriminately and fairly.
| CHAS D. WOODS.
| Director Agricultural Experiment
| Orono. Jan. 8, 1919 Station.
| 4. n 50