BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – HEALTH officials in St. Kitts and Nevis will soon be making an announcement on whether they will be lifting the ban on corned beef imported from Brazil.
That announcement can be as early as today (Apr. 20), as officials charged with testing the quality of the imported products have wrapped up the process and are currently compiling a report for the Ministry of Health to make a determination.
Contacted today for an update on the testing process, Chief Veterinarian Dr. Tracey Challenger told SKNVibes that she is not in a position to divulge the findings of the report, since that report was being compiled for submission to the relevant authorities.
She however confirmed that testing was completed and the necessary documentation and information would be relayed to the decision-making authority.
The veterinarian explained that Total Aerobic Plate Count tests were carried out to determine if bacteria such as Yeast and Mold, E-coli, the total Coliform, Listeria, Salmonella species, among other others, were present.
A number of countries in the Caribbean, including Jamaica and Barbados, have lifted the ban on the product coming out of the South American country.
It was back in March that countries in the region began banning imported corn beef from Brazil, including St. Kitts and Nevis, after it was disclosed that poultry producers had been used “rotten meat” in the production process.
Additionally, reports in Brazil had suggested that bribes were being paid by meat processors to obtain false sanitary licences to operate.
