Eat with care for Carnival

On any day of the week in Port-of-Spain, an estimated 300,000 people are in the city. For Carnival, this figure mushrooms to half a million and many of them will be purchasing food from one of the more than 8,000 registered food handlers. It is the responsibility of the consumer to take charge of their own health, since there is no guarantee that the food is safe, said David Williams, health educator with the Public Health Department, Port-of-Spain City Corporation.William said there are only 33 Public Health Inspectors working in Port-of-Spain and there is “no way” they can visit every person at Carnival time. “We have done our part by inculcating them, issuing food badges, inspecting premises and ensuring that they are at minimum standards.” Williams said eating contaminated food can cause food poisoning. The symptoms are: vomiting, diarrhoea and dehydration, which may lead to kidney failure and death.

He said people with food poisoning should seek immediate medical attention and report the incident to the Public Health Department. Williams said prepackaged food is safer to consume because they are already pasteurised, and sealed. He offered the following simple guidelines when purchasing food: hot food should be served hot, and chilled food served chilled. Food should be covered and not exposed to vermin etc. He said registered food-handlers must be wearing a badge for the current year — 2004.