SHEFFIELD, Westmoreland — At 101-year-old Joseph Samuel is alive and kicking and the centenarian is attributing his healthy eating habit to his longevity.

The senior citizen of St Paul’s, Sheffield, Westmoreland, noted that apart from being a hard worker, the eating of foods that are free of chemical fertiliser and insecticide are the factors responsible for his long life.

“It is according to what you eat. [I] eat a whole lot of things [such as] cassava, breadfruit, banana, potato and so on. But what humbug we now is how the fertiliser comes in. They use the fertiliser on the food. It kind of humbug we bad but in ah fi mi days wi never use fertiliser because you never have fertiliser,” stated Samuel.

“Everything like callaloo, pak choi and all dem something deh dem have fi spray it. In ah fi wi days dem neva use spray pon dem food,” the senior citizen said.

Apart from ground provisions, Samuel usually consumes his own home grown rice.

“I usually plant rice and when we come we usually put it in the sun fi dry, beat the rice [in a mortar] and fan it [trash] out until rice mill come in, you carry you rice, go ah rice mill and dem mill it and you come back and eat it,” stated Samuel.

At present, the only known ailments that affects the centenarian are asthma and an issue with his eyesight.

Recently, Member of Parliament MP for the Westmoreland Western Morland Wilson presented the centenarian with a grant and a gift basket containing food items. He was accompanied by Altrecia Maitland, councillor caretaker for the Sheffield Division (Jamaica Labour Party).

Additionally, representatives from the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation also visited the area and conducted a housing assessment for the senior citizen who is in need of a housing solution.

“I became aware, when his caregiver reached out to my office. She heard I was giving out care packages [food] and she is requesting one for him. When I heard, I immediately set about coordinating with representatives from the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation (Housing) and mobilised my team in preparing an age appropriate package for our centenarian,” stated Wilson.

The first-time MP (JLP) said there is another centenarian in the Negril area that he will be making a similar gesture for today (Thursday).

“It’s our duty as Jamaicans to treat our centenarians with care and compassion, especially in this our 60th years of Independence. Their hard work created the foundation for the liberties we now enjoy,” stated Wilson.