Code of practice for bazaar food to be set up |24 October 2009

Public health officer Daniel Bresson gave the details in a workshop last Saturday in the Oceangate House boardroom, when he spoke to the Bazar Victoria food vendors on the importance of food safety.

The workshop, entitled: General hygiene and sanitation, was organised jointly by the Mayor of Victoria Marie-Antoinette Alexis, who also attended the meeting, and the public health section in the Department of Health.

Mr Bresson said all stakeholders, such as the Food Control Unit, the Small Enterprise Promotion Agency (Senpa), the police, the Seychelles Tourism Board (STB) and the Department of Community Development will be working on this code of practice.

Saturday’s meeting with food vendors

He said the guidelines, which will be up to international standards, will help to monitor such events.

Addressing the food sellers, Mrs Alexis said the bazaar is very popular and many people, including tourists, buy their food there on Fridays.

However, the stallholders need to be further educated on how to properly store and prepare their food for open-air events.

Mrs Alexis added that the meeting was vital for the Bazar Victoria food sellers as food safety is an issue that needs to be addressed seriously.

“We need to take the necessary measures to ensure that food contamination does not occur as the risk is always there,” she said.

During the meeting the stallholders were briefed on the ways food can be contaminated, the importance of personal hygiene, sanitation and the concept of farm-to-plate production.

Also present at the workshop were other health officials and representatives of Senpa and the STB.