Carnival Crowds, Street Food and Hidden Risks

Public health officials are sounding the alarm on the critical importance of food safety as activities surrounding Lucian Carnival prepare to end in the big two-day Parade of the Band. Carnival draws thousands of local patrons, regional neighbours, and international tourists. This surge in food preparation and consumption has prompted the Environmental Health Division to step up monitoring and enforcement as vendors will be preparing and serving meals in much larger quantities than usual. Sherma Toussaint, Environmental Health Officer in the Ministry of Health, Wellness and Nutrition advised that the risk of food contamination and foodborne illnesses significantly increases during the festive season.

Toussaint stated that a foodborne illness is definitely something everyone wants to avoid during the festivities. Maintaining high standards is vital not only to giving the public confidence in the food they buy but also to upholding Saint Lucia’s global reputation as a healthy and safe tourist destination. To ensure a safe festival environment, the division is actively executing a multi-layered public health strategy that includes targeted training workshops for food handlers, thorough venue assessments for waste management, vector control, and border surveillance at ports of entry to manage the heavy influx of international travellers.

“We encourage patrons to be very observant when purchasing fruits from vendors. Look for good personal hygiene” she said.

Patrons are being urged to be highly observant when purchasing food from street vendors and temporary stalls. Toussaint recommends checking that vendors are wearing proper and clean attire, using hair restraints, and omitting excessive jewellery that could contaminate meals. Consumers should look out for a valid license from the Environmental Health Division which should be clearly displayed at the booth. 

“Many of the food handlers should obtain a temporary license from the environmental health division and it is more or less an occasional license for the temporary setup at the venue and it should be displayed so that persons can see and know that you are actually licensed and valid to serve food for the vendors.” she said. 

Furthermore, customers are advised to ensure that proper food temperatures are being maintained, that food is protected from dust and flies and to completely avoid any food that appears undercooked, smells unusual, or is prepared in visibly unsanitary conditions.

For vendors, serving safe food is an issue that directly impacts the reputation and survival of their businesses. The Environmental Health Division is instructing all food handlers to practice strict hand hygiene by washing their hands frequently between tasks. Ideally, businesses should designate one specific person to handle cash separately from the food. If that is not possible, she advises that workers must practice rigorous hand hygiene after handling money. Vendors are also reminded to prevent cross-contamination by keeping raw foods completely separate from ready to eat items, regularly sanitizing all utensils and surfaces and remaining mindful of ingredients that could cause allergic reactions.

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