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Food handlers warned of inspections which are expected in September

Aug 31, 2017 News

The second Food Seminar was hosted yesterday at Cara Lodge, Georgetown, by the Ministry of Public Health, Food and Drug Department.
The seminar, which aims at sensitizing on their responsibilities for safe food practices, was attended by approximately 35 food handlers.
Jewel Sears, Deputy Director of Guyana Analyst (GA)-Food and Drug Department (FDD) said that yesterday’s one day seminar was for food handlers who work in food service establishments. She said, “We are looking at safe food practices in terms of the raw ingredients, their storage and how they are handled prior to cooking”.
Yesterday’s session was done because, “We live in a city that we know is affected, which can cause contamination of food. We also know that food comes into the city from other areas, as well as from other countries and we have to ascertain that our city residents are protected from harm and disease. We also know that food handlers always need to be sensitized as to how to handle food so it is an awareness as well as continuous education for those who have been exposed before”.
“We are looking at preparation of cooked dishes since careful preparation will prevent contamination of raw foods which can produce sickness to the consumer, like diarrhea, vomiting and fever,” according to her.
In addition to these issues, physical and chemical contaminants were also discussed in the meeting. “Glass and hair and tooth pick and maybe even little pieces of metal can cause medical injury. We are also looking at the prevention of chemical contamination into the food because, also food handlers would handle cleaning compounds so they have to be proper requirements for storage so they will not contaminate the foods with any other chemicals they will use.
Food handlers were educated on fire safety requirements from representatives from the Guyana Fire Service, Deon Dylan and Dayne Paul. They were also advised to buy ingredients from credible sources, to have products which are not expired and to purchase foods that are properly labeled, among others.
The subject of pest control was expounded on as well as personal hygiene of the handler and cleaning and sanitation of the environment and ingredients. During these sessions, attendees benefitted from informative video presentations.
With sensitization ongoing with food handlers, the deputy director noted that consumers as well are being sensitized via radio and television broadcasts.
Dr. Karen Boyle, co-founder and share holder of Eureka Laboratory explained, “The international food trade is a $200 billion dollar a year industry, with billions of tons of food produced, marketed and transported across and within borders. International food trade continues to grow as producers find new and innovative technology and enable greater productivity at cheaper rates. The vision of the Ministry of Public Health is for Guyanese to be among the healthiest in the Caribbean and to achieve this, in addition, for us to boost the quality of our services, we must look at the factors, social and economic which put our population’s health and safety at risk… there are some 322 standards and guidelines for safe manufacturing and handling of various food products. GD-FDD is charged with the responsibility for the administration and importing of the food and drug act, chapter 34 and three of 1971 and the food and drug regulation of 1977, the main aim being to safeguard the health of the nation”.
During a recent meeting with the Mayor of Georgetown, Patricia Green, it was noted that come September, inspections will be carried out to verify that safe food practices are being conducted by those who vend to school children, and the inspectors might even turn up at the home of vendors to ensure that food is prepared under conducive conditions as well as the way it is stored.

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