MONTEGO BAY, St James — Public well being officers are advising residents to eat solely authorised meats following the stunning discovery of a crocodile carcass at a meals institution in Montego Bay. The discover was made on November 25 throughout an inspection of a venue beforehand ordered closed and present process a re-evaluation forward of a possible reopening.
The invention was confirmed by Chief Public Well being Inspector for St James, Shericka Lewis, throughout Thursday’s month-to-month assembly of the St James Municipal Company. Lewis highlighted the dangers of consuming unapproved meats and urged the general public to stay to regulated choices.
“I simply need to remind individuals, although we might have unique tastes and need to eat numerous forms of meats, we need to make sure that these animals are presently authorised for slaughter as meat for people in Jamaica,” Lewis mentioned.
Throughout the assembly, Lewis defined that the inspection was a part of a routine follow-up after the enterprise requested to reopen. “That institution is a meals dealing with institution which was closed by the general public well being division previous to this discovery,” she said. “It was upon us going for a revisit — as a result of they known as us to say that they’re prepared for a reopening — so after we went there and we did the second inspection, the carcass was discovered.”
The matter has since been escalated to the Nationwide Setting and Planning Company (NEPA), which is reportedly pursuing authorized motion in opposition to the offending social gathering.
Lewis took the chance to remind residents of the animals presently authorised for human consumption in Jamaica. These embrace cattle (bulls, steer, cows), pigs, sheep, goats, rabbits, and poultry equivalent to chickens, geese, turkeys, and guinea fowls.
The incident comes amid a broader “meat drive” initiated by the general public well being division on December 2 to make sure the protection and high quality of meats through the festive season. Lewis reported that 15 meat outlets have been inspected through the drive, with seven discovered unsatisfactory.
“From this drive, we seized and condemned roughly 140 kilogrammes of native beef and 45 kilogrammes of native goat meat. These meats have been discovered to be uninspected and [not] stamped by the general public well being inspectors,” she mentioned.
The meat drive will proceed by means of mid-January 2025 as authorities ramp up efforts to make sure public well being security.
Residents are urged to stay vigilant, buy meats solely from respected distributors, and report any suspicious exercise to the related authorities.
