BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – IN keeping with the proverb “A nation’s health is a nation’s wealth”, officers of the Environmental Health Department in St. Kitts swooped down on a Chinese supermarket and ordered it closed until the owners had confirmed to the laid down operational standards.
Information reaching SKNVibes stated that the business entity, Daily Food Supermarket, located on Wellington Road between Lozack Road and Park Street, was ordered closed on Monday (Aug. 31) by the officers after it was found to be operating under insanitary conditions.
A source from the Environmental Health Department told this publication that a certain section of the business establishment was kept in a very filthy state and was infested with rats, roaches and flies.
This information was confirmed by the Federation’s Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Dr. Patrick Martin.
The owners have however since complied with the directives given by the Environmental Health Officers and the supermarket was reopened for business on Wednesday (Sept. 2).
The incident was brought to SKNVibes’ attention by a number of individuals who are regular customers of the supermarket.
“Since Monday afternoon when I came home from work I saw that the Chinese supermarket was closed. I had found it very strange because they normally open at 7:00 in the morning and close by 10 o’clock in the night.
“I enquired and found out that people from the Health Department visited them and ordered the owners to close the supermarket because they were operating under conditions that were not conducive to health standards,” one male customer said.
This publication learnt that because of the supermarket’s operational hours, many people in the immediate and surrounding areas as well as those residing as far as Cayon and beyond find it convenient to shop there.
“I am very happy that the health people visited that Chinese supermarket. Though I have found it very convenient to purchase from them because it’s the only supermarket you can find open at all hours, even on holidays, no one can see what goes on behind the door that leads to where they package the foods we have to eat.
“I would like to commend the health people for their observation and the action taken. This should not be a one-time thing! They need to make random checks on all these supermarkets, restaurants and food vendors. When they do things of that nature, we the consumers will feel comfortable when shopping at these outlets,” a female customer lamented.
In an invited comment, Dr. Martin said that if there were any violation of the Public Health Act, a food-handling outlet could be closed summarily.
“Any institution, once they are at fault the Environmental Health Officers has the power under the Public Health Act to close them down. That is standard throughout the Caribbean.”
Speaking to the modus operandi of the Environmental Health Department, the CMO said: “The Public Health does it work without any fanfare. Because it is public health, we do not go about boasting or shouting that we are coming. If we do that, people are going to clean-up.”
He also spoke to his concerns about food poisoning and declared that there are ongoing inspections of all food outlets, including hotels, restaurants, sidewalk cafes and “anybody selling food”.
