Food establishments warned to keep health certificates current
KFC among 16 businesses temporarily shuttered after breach in MoBay
Published:Saturday | November 16, 2024 | 7:47 AMChristopher Thomas/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
With a KFC outlet among 16 food establishments in Montego Bay shuttered by the authorities on Monday, Sherika Lewis, the acting chief public health inspector for St James, has warned operators who fail to renew their licences that they risk being shut out of business.
Speaking to The Gleaner following Thursday’s monthly meeting of the St James Municipal Corporation (StJMC), Lewis stressed that the managers and supervisors of food-handling businesses have a responsibility to ensure that their health certificates remain current.
“The Public Health Food Handling Regulations of 1998 state that within 30 days of the expiration of their licence to operate a food-handling establishment, the operators should apply for their health certificate. On Monday, November 11, the Public Health Department carried out an enforcement drive in the township, and the focus was on food-handling establishments that had invalid health certificates,” said Lewis.
She said 41 premises were visited, 16 of which were closed due to non-application for renewal. Since then, all the establishments have met the reopening criteria.
“What we are trying to do is to monitor these establishments as best we can, do the inspections, get them their certificates, and to ensure that we monitor our databases for timely application. But the onus is on the operators, managers, and supervisors of these establishments to ensure that they apply for or renew the health certificate in a timely manner,” said Lewis.
On Monday, images appeared on social media showing the closure notice at KFC’s Fairview branch, outlining that the St James Health Department had ordered it closed for continued breaches of the Public Health Food Handling Regulations of 1998.
“There is very much a concern about the non-compliance, and that is why we had to take the actions to get in on them and close them for non-application of their certificates,” said Lewis.
Suspension of licence
She said that in cases of repeated failure to comply, one possible action is the suspension of their licence. If the licence is suspended three times, it can be revoked by the parish’s medical officer of health under the Public Health Food-Handling Regulations.
The issue of late applications for food handlers’ certification in St James previously arose in March 2009 when the health department received 39 applications a day after it closed nine businesses for operating without proper permits.
During the health department’s operation leading up to that closure exercise, it was reported that roughly 50 per cent of St James’ food handlers were operating in breach of the law.
In September 2022, six establishments in Montego Bay – four supermarkets, a restaurant, and a bakery – were closed by the health department for various violations.