Bites

St Lucia prohibits the sale of alcohol for 21 days

St Lucia has prohibited the sale of liquor for 21 days.

The government announced on Monday that liquor licences would be suspended for 21 days, beginning on Wednesday, in a bid to address the spread of COVID-19 and a "significant rise" in cases on the island.

The suspension would prohibit the sale and consumption of alcohol at supermarkets, mini marts, grocery shops, gas stations, restaurants, bars and other licenced operators.

St Lucia recorded 57 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, bringing the total number of active cases to 359. The island has recorded a total of 713 cases.

South Africa's trailblazing black food writer dies of virus

JOHANNESBURG ( AP ):

South Africa's trailblazing black food writer Dorah Sitole has died from COVID-19. She was 65.

Sitole's career started in 1980, at the height of apartheid, when she was hired by a canned foods company to promote sales of their products by giving cooking classes in black townships. She found that she loved the work and in 1987 became the country's first black food writer when she was appointed food editor for True Love, one of the few publications for the country's black majority.

Her latest cookbook was widely hailed in December as a moving chronicle of her journey from humble township cook to famous, well-travelled author. The country's new black celebrity chefs lined up to praise her as a mentor who encouraged them to succeed by highlighting what they knew best: tasty African food.

In 40 Years of Iconic Food, Sitole engagingly described how she quietly battled South Africa's racist apartheid system to find appreciation, and a market, for African cuisine. Her book became a holiday bestseller, purchased by blacks and whites alike.

Czechs to make mandatory minimum of local food in stores

PRAGUE ( AP ):

The lower house of the Czech parliament approved on Wednesday a requirement that supermarkets carry a minimum share of local food, a move meant to be less dependent on imports.

The share of Czech food in stores that are bigger than 400 sq metres (4,305 sq feet) should be at least 55 per cent in 2022 and increase to at least 73 per cent in 2028, according to the bill.

It was drafted by the opposition populist Freedom and Direct Democracy party that pushed it through the house with the help from the ruling coalition of Prime Minister Andrej Babis.

The controversial move still needs to be approved by the upper house, the Senate, which is controlled by the opposition, and then by the president. The lower house can override a possible Senate or presidential veto by a simple majority.