Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-06-30
Food Inspection Faces
Overhaul in New Era

avail. Mr.. Cary feels, unless
iwell-trained men are doing the
inspecting. It's not just a ques-
ton Of spotting something
wrong: it's a question of know
ing which violations are serious
and what to do about them.
Training Program Set Up
ITS simple to find something
wrong" Mr.. Cary declares. "But
for the gray areas. you need q
trained man. The better trained
he is, the better decision he will
make"
To meet this need, Mr.. Cary
has set UP q training program
within the bureau. For two
hours each week, bureau workers
meet for lecture and discussion
period. Speakers are drawn from
both inside and outside the
Health Department. depending
on whether the subject involves
policies and regulations or the
broader principles Of public
health. Last week, for instance,
James Westbrook. food and milk
specialist for Public Health
Service Region III, outlined the
|PHS code for eating and drink
ing establishments, which Mr..
Cary plans to use as a guide.
AS important as these weekly
meetings are in his plans for the
bureau. Mr.. Cary still is moi
satisfied.
Until We can work out a basic
program for these training per.
liods," he explains. there's not
enough rhyme or reason to them
We don't have the real inte-
grated, thought-out type of pro-
gram that I hope to institute.
What is needed, he says, is
someone to Coordinate the SER
les of lectures, so that they will
have the continuity needed to
turn training periods into a real
training program.
Education Aid Sought
Similarly. Mr.. Cary hopes to
get the cooperation of the
Board Of Education's Industrial
and Adult Education ONCE in
furnishing training in sanitation
to food industry workers.
But all these innovations -
fiexibility Of inspection, elimina-
ton OF magic numbers" train
ing for inspectors and training
for food handlers-depend for
their effectiveness on something
more fundamental. to Mr.. Cary's
way Of thinking. And that is the
attitude Of the public.
Il hope to interest the COM
in a broad approach to
the problem Of food and public
health he explains. Its not
all restaurants and hotels: it's
a problem that concerns eve v
body's kitchen at home as well.
Il would like to see people
look at these things as a COM
problem, instead OF Just
making police force out of the
Health Department.
Take barbershops. for in
stance. If q uniformed inspector
comes in, don't you think a
barber is going to make sure
he sterilizeS his tools between
customers? We don't have to
work too hard to box some of
these people. If that's what they
want. But I'd like to see a pub
lie demand that they comply
with the health rules"
Stun Life a Factor /:
And the problem goes deeper:
How are you going TO take
people from the slums-and it's
those people who make up the
bulk Of our food handlers-and
teach them to be clean when
they're not clean in their own
homes?" Mr.. Cary asks.
How are you going to tell
them they must keep themselves
clean when they have no bath
tub at home? How can you teach
them the habit Of washing their
hands, when their hands prob
ably are cleaner than the dishees
and tables their food is served
on at home?"
The ultimate answer. Mr.. Cary
believes. lies in training children
to be sanitation-conscious from
the time they are babies. Ade-
quate housing must play its
part. and the schools must play
their part.
IF people are sanitation-con-
scious." he concludes. they will
see to it that the things around
them are clean"