BAHFSA committed to ensuring that all foods are safe

World Food Safety Day ceremony set for today

NASSAU, BAHAMAS – Christopher Warrick, the Executive Director of the Bahamas Agricultural Health & Food Safety Authority (BAHFSA), expressed on Tuesday that the authority is committed to ensuring that all foods in the Bahamas are safe for consumption.

“BAHFSA is committed to strengthening its regulatory, scientific and technological capacities to address the rising concerns of food safety and, as much as possible, help to mitigate the health risks due to foodborne pathogens,” said Warrick, who noted that for the first time in 2019, the world speaks with one voice, one focus, and with one goal in mind: to make food safe.

Warwick’s comments came at a press conference held yesterday to announce plans to celebrate World Food Safety Day, which will be celebrated worldwide on June 7. However, the day will be recognized locally today, June 5,  at a ceremony at the National Training Agency on Gladstone Road from 9am to 4pm.

In an effort to ensure that food is safe, BAHFSA has warned Bahamians of several recalls in recent months, which included beef franks, beef and chewy Chips Ahoy cookies.

Yesterday, Warwick said safe food equates to good food nutrition, which strengthens the country’s food security. “Food security in turn ensures that food is accessible and this creates a sustainable system that promotes economic development in the Bahamas,” Warwick said.

According to Warrick, in December 2018, the United General Assembly proclaimed June 7^th, World Food Safety Day.  He said the day will bring a greater focus on the best practices that should be employed at all stages of the food chain.

“Farmers, processors, distributors and all persons that come in contact with food that is intended for human and animal consumption should practice food safety every day, from the farm to the fork,” he said.

Meanwhile, today’s World Food Safety Day ceremony will be held under the theme, “Food safety matters every day”.  The keynote speaker will be Dr. Esther de Gourville, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) representative for The Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands.

The ceremony will be followed by a seminar where various presenters will share and discuss how private and public partnerships can be forged to address food safety issues.