Copyright thenassauguardian
There has been an increase in illnesses linked to several conch salad sands, according to Dr. Patricia Johnson, director of Food Safety and Quality at The Bahamas Agricultural Health and Food Safety Authority, who noted the establishment of the BAHFSA is intended to prevent such occurrences by ensuring the adherence to safety standards. Many conch salad vendors operate at Arawak Cay, Potter's Cay Dock or from pop-up stalls on the roadside of New Providence. Johnson said the unit has created a registration process that offers a safety guide to food business owners before inspections are done. “Conch salad stands have been really an issue,” she said at the official launch of the BAHFSA. She continued, "It's ... between 4,000 and 6,000, so of course it's a slow process. [However], whenever we go out, if the team has time, they do what we call a registration drive to get these businesses to register with us. “Once they register with us, then we can then put them in the system. We know who they are. We can go out and inspect them. “And we are very hopeful that we will have partnerships with other agencies like Department of Environmental Health Services, [and] Consumer Protection Commission. ... So we hope to have partnerships with other agencies and other officers who can help us on the ground to be able to cover more.” Johnson said the initial inspection after registration determines if immediate closure is necessary and if not, owners will receive notices and feedback on how to improve food safety at their establishment. Once businesses are registered with the unit, routine checks are conducted. Thirty to 50 business have been inspected for the year and of that number, 10 have been temporarily closed, according to officials. Most recently, a Chinese restaurant on Farrington Road was closed down for safety and health violations. Less than a week later, the restaurant reopened. Critics online questioned the swift opening. However, Johnson said, “Like I mentioned, we have a very strong team … that would have closed that business and improvement notices were given ... of course, it was closed. And that business did meet the requirements to open their doors again. So we've worked very closely with business owners. “Sometimes, you know, if you don't know, you don't know. [However], what we are there to do is to help educate these food businesses and these owners so that they can have all of the right processes in place to avoid closure.”
