Almost 400 kg of meat spoilt in St Ann
Health official warns residents to be careful when buying refrigerated goods
OCHO RIOS, St Ann — Health inspectors, who have declared almost 400 kilogrammes of meat at business places in St Ann as unfit for consumption, are warning residents to be careful when buying items that need to be refrigerated in order to be safe to eat.
“Food service has been affected by the hurricane, and we have so far condemned in excess of 369 kilogrammes of meat products from commercial entities which either suffered because they didn’t have adequate refrigeration or back-up power supply to run their refrigeration units,” said the parish’s Chief Public Health Inspector Leroy Scott.
He was speaking during Thursday’s monthly meeting of St Ann Municipal Corporation.
Scott told the meeting that in the wake of Hurricane Beryl, which left sections of several parishes without electricity after it pummelled parts of Jamaica last Wednesday, his team has made an effort to inspect commercial establishments and dispose of unsafe food. The work continues, and he stressed that previously refrigerated items should not go without refrigeration for more than a day.
“Particularly meat products, dairy, juices and drinks, we ask that persons only buy small amounts of products that require refrigerating temperature – only enough to be used in a day – and once it is prepared it needs to be consumed within four hours if there is no refrigerator,” said Scott.
“Buy and eat day to day,” he stressed.
The hurricane has also interrupted the piped water supply, and the health inspector asked individuals to make an effort to ensure water being consumed is safe.
“Be very careful of the quality of the water used for domestic purposes. If you are in doubt we ask that you do your own treatment at home before you consume water. We encourage community members to either boil or use household bleach to treat their water before consumption,” Scott said.
“It is a simple method, just add two drops of liquid chlorine bleach — and we ask persons not to use bulk bleach. Please ensure that the product is appropriately labelled and you can read the active ingredients and follow the instructions as listed on the label. Two drops of bleach in one litre or a quart of water; if you’re using a five-gallon [amount] it’s a ½ teaspoon of bleach; a 45-gallon will need 4½ teaspoon to treat. After treatment, ensure the container is remained tightly covered,” he added.
