Dennie Quill, Contributor
LATELY, I have become wary about eating out, what with so many food-borne illnesses lurking around. Another thing is I am not too confident that in places where food is manufactured and served that the requisite safety procedures are in place to make sure harmful bacteria do not find their way into people's stomach. There are also clear cases where people handling food have displayed blatant disregard for proper hygiene - simple things like washing hands especially after using the bathroom, wearing clean clothes, maintaining clean nails, keeping work surfaces sanitised and sterilising utensils.
Food-borne diseases are sporadic and often not reported, yet we know of many instances when after having a meal one suffers an attack of diarrhoea or stomach cramps. The symptoms may disappear after a day or two but we usually know when we have had 'bad food'. And from watching television news one gets the distinct impression that donkey carcass is being passed off as beef somewhere in this beloved country.
CAUSE FOR CONCERN
Two recent incidents have also given me cause for concern. My friend and I stopped at a mid-island eatery to have an early morning snack. The youngster who was taking our order suddenly had an attack of sorts and started to dig his nose with utmost urgency. Then he moved to fill our order, and my friend said, "Surely you are now going to wash your hands, young man." Shamefacedly, he retreated to the back and reappeared moments later to serve us. One was still not sure he had washed his hands.
Then recently, I stopped at a well-established eatery on the north coast. It was early morning and although the kitchen staff was not in place I was told tea was available. The man who seemed to be in charge stretched as he roused himself from a chair. It was obvious that he had slept in his crushed clothes overnight. Worse, he was drooling all over and rubbing matter from his eyes. To my horror he proceeded to take an unwrapped tea bag from a jar! I took off like a rocket as he was left holding the cup with an incredulous look on his face.
Sanitary concerns aside, more and more countries are now exercising extreme vigilance over food. There are stringent rules governing planting, reaping, packaging and labelling of imports. This is in recognition of the fact that imports are moving across borders with the need to protect consumers from food-borne diseases and food-related illnesses. This brings me to the question: what food safety measures are in place to protect the Jamaican public from food-related illnesses such as mad cow disease, e.coli, avian flu and salmonella?
Speaking of salmonella, I read that Cadbury Schweppes, the world's largest confectioners, recalled one million bars of chocolate last month over salmonella concerns. The problem was caused by a leaking pipe at one of its plants in the U.K. and action was taken a full six months after the incident. Salmonella is one of the most common agents associated with food poisoning and could prove fatal.
Although Cadbury chocolate is sold in many local outlets here, I have not heard anything from any consumer agency, standards agency, surveillance agency or even the distributors whether there is potential risk to local chocolate eaters.
PRIORITY FOR THIS GOVERNMENT
With summer travel in full swing taking people all over the globe, it is not inconceivable that these products could get to Jamaica. Not all members of the public will be able to access the website of an English newspaper to learn about this recall, but consumers are entitled to be told about any potential risk to their health. One wonders whether the surveillance of food-borne diseases is a high public health priority for this government. It is important to understand that to battle food-borne diseases consumers need to be informed so they can take steps to minimise food safety hazards.
P.S. I received some thoughtful responses to my column calling for action against child abuse. One reader has suggested that the book, The Courage to Heal, A Guide for Women Survivors of Sexual Abuse by Ellen Bass and Laura Davis, offers overall guidance and insights of the psychological trauma that occurs when abuse has injured a child. She recommends it as being well-written and suggests it may be helpful to those caretakers of recovering survivors of child abuse, male or female.
Dennie Quill is a veteran journalist who may be reached at denniequill@hotmail.com.
