Modify behaviours to make food safe

Secretary of Health, Wellness and Family Development, Dr Agatha Carrington is encouraging the public to play an active role in maintaining food safety as food-borne illnesses can affect more than just one’s health.

“If we modify our behaviour, we can assist in making our food safe. Our physical and social determinants are critical to the maintenance of food safety,” Carrington said at a consultation on a draft Trinidad and Tobago food safety policy.

She said poor food safety also has a significant economic impact.

“Food borne illnesses present a huge burden on public health and contributes to increasing our healthcare costs. When the population becomes ill due to food-borne illnesses, this increases hospitalisation costs,” she said, adding that it also reduced productivity when affected people were unable to work.

The consultation was held on November 14 at Rovanel’s Resort, hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Land, and Fisheries, and the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO).