THE Mayor and City Council (M&CC) has issued a warning to vendors in all of the municipal markets that they will no longer be permitted to sell at their respective locations if they fail to comply with the laws governing the sale of fruits and vegetables.

“It is prohibited for persons (vendors/tenants) to be selling any goods/food articles by placing or storing them on the ground, as it would not be safe for human consumption,” M&CC Public Relations Officer, Vanessa Simon-Brown, stated.

“Please note that it has been brought to the attention of the Mayor and Councillors of the City of Georgetown that there are some unhealthy practices regarding the display, handling and sale of fruits, food, vegetables, etc, at the various municipal markets,” Simon-Brown further said in a statement to the press recently.

According to her, this is in accordance with the Public Health Laws, under “Mode of Trade in and Sale of Provisions for the Food of Man,” By-Laws, Citation two, which states that, “All articles of food exposed in a manner set forth in the by-laws shall be kept at a height of not less than two (2) feet from the sidewalk, pavement or ground above which they are placed.”

Meanwhile, in the past, the City Council had warned about purchasing cut fruits in plates wrapped with plastic.

The Meat and Food Hygiene Section of the municipality’s Public Health Department had carried out an inspection of some of the cut fruits in Styrofoam trays and it was discovered that in some cases, they were not prepared under the approved hygienic standards.
Furthermore, the fruits were not stored or sold under the right temperature, which affected the nutritional value, the department informed. “Therefore, the council wishes to advise citizens to be careful when purchasing these fruits. These should be prepared on approved premises, under strict hygienic conditions. Cut fruits should be stored and sold at 4°C. Vendors who are offering these fruits for sale must do so in designed areas,” the department had said.

The City Council had also warned against the practice of vendors to bottle coconut water for sale. “The Public Health Department could not vouch for the sterilisation process used by these vendors. The council is appealing to those vendors who are involved to desist from pouring coconut water in bottles and offering them for sale.”