The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-11-29
RASTIC 1 AW CONTROL LING FOOD DRAW N
 Dr. J. D. Bowling Has Ready New Ordinance To Provide Safety For Public In Shops Handling Unprotected Goods GROCERS AND BUTCHERS IND0RSE REGULATIONS Shopmen Have Been Consult ed--MrS. EChoIs Will h. troduce Measure At Next Meeting Of Commissioners

1
 Details of the new pure food" ordinance, placing Birmingham food dealers under drastic sanitary regu- latlon, and providing a maximum of protection for consumers, were made public Wednesday morning by pr. J. D. Bowling, health officer for Bir- mingham and Jefferson county.
 Mrs. Mary Echols, commissioner of health, will place the ordinance be-
 fore the city commission next Tues l day and press 1t for early passage. She and Dr. Bowling believe it's adop- 1 tion will give Birmingham one of the soundest food control codes in the entire country.
 Dr. Bowling completed the draft of the ordinance late Wednesday, and it goes to the commission with the unan- imous indorsement of the Birming- ham Retail Grocers and Butchers as- sociation. Favorable consideration of the city authorities Is expected.
 Under the provisions of the measure | all food dealers are required to ob- tain a Sanitary permit" from the board of health before they can get a license to do business.
 | Effective screening of foods is re- quired, and provision is made for the protection of meats, fruits and pre- pared foods from dust, flies and hu- man hands.
 Refrigeration.
 Fresh meats. must be kept under proper refrigeration at all times to prevent spoilage. No sleeping quar-
 ters will be allowed in places where foods are stored or handled, and juris- diction over the general sanitary con
 ditions of stores is given the health l department.
 r Rigid physical examinations once a year, or oftener in the discretion of
 the health board, are required for all
 persons engaged in the handling of
 food products. This is to prevent persons with communicable diseases
 from working in food stores. In extreme cases, the health depart ment will have authority to protect
 the public health by condemning, con- ! fiscating or destroying summarily all 1 foods found unsuited for consumption.
 pr. Bowling characterized the ordi- nance as "air-tight and bomb proof 1 and declared proper food control in
 Birmingham would be comparatively ] easy after it's enactment.
 Under our present impossible sys- tenn" he said, "the city could employ | 25 to 50 food inspectors and still fail to get results. There are no teeth in the law we have been operating un- der. The new ordinance is drastic enough to meet the situation and can be properly enforced by three or may be five, efficient inspectors. O O O
 Established Clinic.
 After the ordinance becomes ef- fective, we propose to establish a food handlers clinic, where food dealers and their clerks may report for physical examination. Of course certificates from reliable physicians will be accepted. but they must be made on forms furnished by the city Thus we will be able to get all the information we want in every case" "
 B. c. Apperson, secretary of the Grocers and Butchers association, said his organization was solidly behind the health department in the move ment to give the city an adequate pure food ordinance. A delegation representing the organization will go before the commission Tuesday to appeal for favorable action without delay.
 pr. Dowlings ordinance on handling of milk and dairy products for city supply has met with international approval, being adopted by cities in the United States and foreign coun- tries and also being used as guide in several universities, including Yale and the University of Marlborough.