MORANT BAY, Jamaica — Chief Public Health Inspector for Portland, Lorenzo Hume, is urging the public to exercise caution when bottling coconut water, warning that improper sanitation poses serious health risks due to the commodity’s high susceptibility to contamination.

Speaking during the recent Portland Municipal Corporation monthly meeting in Port Antonio, Hume disclosed that two cease and desist orders were issued to individuals engaged in bottling coconut water without the requisite sanitary facilities.

“They operate in various spaces and they turn up at different events. I am, again, bringing to the council’s attention that coconut water is a high-risk food. If it is not bottled properly, you can get food-borne illnesses from it; and some of the conditions under which it is being bottled are not safe,” he said.

Meanwhile, Hume reported that 21 food-handler clinics were conducted in July, followed by 13 in August.

Portland currently maintains an average food-handler certification rate of approximately 90 per cent, though challenges persist in raising that figure further, he added.

Hume also noted that several food-handling structures in the parish fall below acceptable standards due to deteriorating fixtures, “compounded by limited knowledge and understanding of what is necessary by some persons”.

He also highlighted challenges in reaching certain individuals residing in rural areas, among other operational difficulties.

“Notwithstanding, we continue to do what we have to do, and we pursue different activities [and] different strategies,” Hume said.

— JIS