Two workshops held in Anguilla this week have pointed to food safety and the need for breast-feeding as two areas of concern for the Government and people of the island to continue to take note of. Both workshops were conducted by the Caribbean Food and Nutrition Institute (CFNI) in collaboration with the Environmental Health Unit and the Health Authority of Anguilla.

Scene of the Opening Ceremony and Workshop Sessions

Speaking at the opening ceremony at the Teachers’ Resource Centre, Coordinator of Nutrition and Health Promotion, Vernice Battick, said the first workshop from Monday to Wednesday was for Environmental Health Officers and other personnel who would receive training in the use of the street food vendors manual. She further explained that it was aimed at assisting the officers in ensuring that food for consumption by the Anguillian population and visitors was prepared in a safe and hygienic manner.

Mrs. Battick said the other session on Thursday and Friday was a breast-feeding consultation and workshop. She noted that it was an initiative that came about as a result of the deaths of millions of infants around the world each year. This is caused by various preventable infections and diseases as well as malnutrition due to a lack of breast-feeding or the giving of other foods to infants too early.

She added that the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Anguilla had embarked on a “baby friendly hospital initiative”, part of a global programme sponsored by the World Health Organisation and the United Nations Children Fund. The initiative is to assist health providers to give breast-feeding mothers the information and skills needed to successfully breast-feed their babies.

Scene of the Opening Ceremony and Workshop Sessions

Audrey Morris, the CFNI representative who came to conduct the workshops, spoke about food and water-bourne diseases which are leading to the deaths of large numbers of children and elderly persons; the need for proper education relating to the preparation and purchase of food; and the three-year food safety programme undertaken by CFNI with funding from the Organisation of American States.

Minister of Social Development, Evans Rogers, declared open the workshops. He observed that of late there was a proliferation of food vans and barbecue sites on the island. He said that there was a need to ensure food safety and gave various examples of how contamination could be caused. He also spoke about the benefits of breast-feeding and thought that both workshops were timely.

The opening ceremony was chaired by Senior Environmental Officer, Oliver Hodge.

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