Food watch

Environmental health inspectors to pay closer attention to nighttime food operations By Emmanuel Joseph Acting Chief Environmental Health Officer Ronald Chapman says authorities are moving to better regulate food businesses that operate at night to ensure the health and safety of consumers. Though saying that most food operations were “very highly regulated”, Chapman acknowledged in an interview with Barbados TODAY that some were flying under the radar because of the times they operate. “Inspectors work normally during the daytime, and sometimes on Friday nights, Saturday nights, Sunday nights, some persons will then decide they are going to do a little barbeque next to their house or something like that that they have not made an application for. “Those are some of the areas that there are gaps, and we are working to address those gaps. But in terms of the average food business and shops and restaurants that open during the day and that normally operate, they are highly regulated.” Chapman defended his department and more specifically, his inspectors who have been accused by some members of the public of not being proactive or vigilant enough in monitoring food establishments. He called on the critics to provide specific examples, contending that the inspectors “are still working and working assiduously”. “Every year we inspect most, if not all, of the food businesses in Barbados and they are licensed, so we have records to that extent…. Those places are licensed on what we call the anniversary. So if you applied in January this year, your next inspection is January the following year. So it’s once a year for licensing,” the acting chief environmental health officer explained. However, he added, inspectors return during the course of the year as part of their normal assessments. “These are ad hoc visits; these visits are not announced by the inspectors. So if a person has specifics that they would like to bring to our attention, I would be more than happy to look into them. But we are on the grid as far as this is concerned,” Chapman asserted. He also addressed criticism levelled at the Environmental Health Department after the temporary closure of three KFC branches on the heels of employees walking off the job protesting health and safety concerns last week. Chapman stressed that “the KFC issue was not an environmental issue”. “That was an issue with the Chief Labour Officer. When we did our inspection and so on, the problems or the issues that were there were mainly from the Chief Labour Officer’s perspective. “As with most issues, persons tend to want to tack on additional stuff to boost their position. But our inspectors went and we accompanied the Chief Labour Officer when they had requested us to come by because there were complaints. And the inspectors were quite satisfied that the conditions that were found there did not represent a significant public health risk to the extent that we needed to take drastic action or close anyone down,” Chapman asserted. “We were brought in for minor issues and we dealt with those minor issues and from our perspective, those places can be reopened. Whether or not the Chief Labour Officer’s issues had been addressed, that is something different. But environmental health, our issues have been addressed.” KFC’s Warrens and Hastings branches reopened on Monday while the Oistins outlet resumed operations on Tuesday. Chapman also sought to address another criticism that health inspectors were not as visible in districts across the country as they were years ago, to ensure people keep their surroundings free of anything that would harbour vectors such as mosquitos. “I know that some persons would say they have not seen an inspector come around at their house for a while. The truth of the matter is, yes, we do have some shortage of staff but that has been addressed to some extent lately. We have brought on some new persons and they will be seen in the districts shortly,” Chapman said. “However, I must say that a lot of persons are at work when the inspectors are at work. So if you are out and you are not at home then you probably are going to miss the inspector. But in any case, the inspectors are still doing their work in the district. They are still working every day and they are still out there working to keep the country safe.” emmanueljoseph@barbadostoday.bb]]>