– at businesses across GT

THE Mayor and City Council (M&CC) has found that dozens of food businesses and vendors across Georgetown are operating with fraudulent food-handling certificates, issued to them by sources other than the City Council.

The practice has even been found at major food establishments, Chief Meat and Food Inspector (Ag) Abiola Baker said on Thursday.
“Upon routine inspections to food establishments as well as vendors, we noticed that several persons have fraudulent food-handling certificates, or those that are from sources who are not credible,” she explained in an interview with the Guyana Chronicle.

In some cases, valid permits from the M&CC are being used by persons other than those to whom they were issued.
But Baker said the M&CC wants to remind persons who may own a food business or who may be working with one, that they are required to first go in to the City Council to obtain their permit.

“They need to come in to us; we’re the authority,” she said, adding that the process is relatively easy and fast.
Explaining how to obtain a certificate, Baker said the individual who goes in to the City Council will be given an investigation slip requiring them to do two tests, blood and stool, at ‘labs’ that the municipality knows are authorised to conduct such tests, such as Eureka Lab and the Guyana Responsible Parenthood Association (GRPA).
Once the tests are done, the individual then goes to the Dorothy Bailey Health Centre on South Road, where they see the City Council’s doctor assigned to food handling. A passport size photo is provided, and a fee of $5,000 is paid, after which the certificate is approved. “It’s nothing hard to do, and you get it within the same day. It is then valid for one year,” Baker noted.

According to her, with an increasing economic crisis due to COVID-19, persons who are out of jobs are coming out everywhere to start their own business. “They know that it is not a time where we will be policing a lot because of limited staff, so they’re taking advantage of that,” Baker said.

Beginning next week, Baker said the M&CC will be rolling out a campaign to rid the city of this food-handling problem. She said the municipality is also thinking about

imposing a fine on those found culpable.

The City Council is going to warn those individuals first, and then give them some time to get themselves in order. “We’re on the ball, even with our limited resources,” Baker expressed.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) has advised that COVID-19 is not food-borne. Even so, local authorities have been stressing the need for food businesses in Guyana to maintain high standards.

Director of M&CC’s Public Health Department, Suzette Reynolds told this publication recently that those who wish to purchase food should be guided by the same rules that apply to making deliveries.

“The virus is not food-borne, but the boxes, plastic bags, cups, can become contaminated in the process of food handling,” Reynolds said, adding, “If a fast-food place has a crowd, or is known to have one, that’s abusing social distancing, and I don’t recommend anyone contribute to same. While delivery should be highly considered, everything should be sterilised upon receipt.”