Residents urged to be more conscious of food they consume
Minister of Health Marlon Penn is encouraging more BVIslanders to become conscious of what they eat to prevent, detect, and manage food-borne illnesses and achieve better health.
In a statement acknowledging World Food Safety Day – observed on June 7 annually – Penn said food safety is a significant global public health issue which is common in developed and developing countries. He noted there are more than 200 known diseases transmitted through food worldwide.
“Unsafe foods contribute to poor health conditions, such as impaired growth and development, non-communicable or communicable diseases, and mental illness. Globally, one in 10 people are affected by a foodborne disease every year,” the Health Minister said.
“When food is safe, we can fully benefit from its nutritional value, hence the theme for this year is: “Safer Foods, Better Health”,” Penn added.
He highlighted that keeping food safe in the territory begins with the farmers and ends with the consumers. Penn agreed it requires proper food hygiene in supermarkets, grocery stores, and restaurants to reduce the risk of contamination.
“Every person working in the food industry has a responsibility to handle and prepare food that is safe and suitable for consumption,” he said.
“The community also has a very important role to play. When preparing food, remember to maintain good personal hygiene; separate raw food from cooked food to prevent cross-contamination; cook food thoroughly; keep food at safe temperatures after cooking, and use safe water,” Penn added.
He encouraged persons who are experiencing signs and symptoms of foodborne illness to make a report to Environmental Health or to a healthcare provider.
“Many Food Safety issues extend beyond the health sector and require us to take a multisector approach. The Ministry of Health and Social Development is committed to working with our partners in Agriculture, trade, business, and other sectors to ensure a reliable supply of safe and healthy food for all the people of the Virgin Islands,” Penn said
“Food Safety is also a vital aspect of food security, and I welcome the recent passage of the Food Security and Sustainability Act. In line with this, the Ministry of Health and Social Development is actively reviewing and updating the Food Hygiene Regulations under the Public Health Act,” the Health Minister continued.
He noted that the Environmental Health Division in his ministry continues to build capacity and provide an array of educational and enforcement services to reduce the risks of foodborne illnesses in the territory.
“The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) continues to provide technical and financial assistance towards our food safety programming, and we are grateful for their support. I encourage everyone to do their part to produce and consume Safer Foods for Better Health,” Penn said.
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Only put clean edible food in your mouth.
1000+ words reduced to 8 words. Go back to school!
Eating less might be a good idea for most of the government.
We are an embarrassingly fat nation.
Too much starches(rice) on top of too much sugar(drinks) = obesity. Have one or the other not both. Or have both but alot less of each.
If he is so concerned about our health why is the dump still burning. Food borne illnesses? That’s the least of our concerns today. We need to cleanse ourselves of the narco nation legacy. Everyone has to go. We need a fresh start.
Sounds like a soft approach to exerting control and tracking/tracing UN style. Sad that we’ve come to this and that so many are blind to the agenda.
no nonesense and inspections of food prep and partiicularly storage after cooking for resale in VG.
It appears that the cooked food is kept at not low enough temperatures for resale, including cleanliness of the storage area may be the culprit.
all is known that eating at those places is very risky now on a daily and weekly basis. Something needs to be done.
The problem with getting sick, many times so bad one cannot get to the toilet, as it comes flying out on its own.
This is across multiple restaurants and street vendors.
One cannot eat at any of those places any more withot getting viciously sick
Health department and its protective team need to step their enforcement so to keep people safe.
HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO CREATE A HEALTHY VEGETABLES FOR THE PEOPLE / BUT FOOLED EVERYBODY INCLUDING HIMSELF / AND SAINT ANDREW DECIDED WEED IS BETTER THAN AGRICULTURE SO WE ARE AT THE MERCY OF ( GMO ) MANIFACTURES . •¿• WELCOME TO THE PLAYERS CLUB
With the low salaries, 5 years increments due and the high prices at the supermarket…we have to eat what we can, it is just eating to survive.
Bobby’s has great selections on very clean and not heavy processed foods. Eating cleaner comes with a high cost on groceries and if you arent paid well, I don’t know how you can do this as u probably should. But planting your own produce will help a bit as far as greens go.
These Hogs!? YOu see the unnatural size of some these people around her? Don’t use the bathroom after them because the demons that come out there bum needs exorcism.
LMFAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
you can talk about all this after, the salaries have been increased, then Mr. Penn can conclude such bold suggestions or demands.
this will allow us to make better decisions of food purchase
WORD TO THE WISE. WATCH OUT FOR MEAT. SATAN AGENT CORRUPTED MEAT. HUMAN FLESH APPEARING AS CHICKEN OR MEAT. LOCAL MEAT BETTER.