The Saint Lucia Bureau of Standards (SLBS) is aware of public concerns about the worldwide recall of peanuts and peanut based products contaminated by Salmonella bacteria. The recall which commenced about a month ago is associated with products from the Peanut Corporation of America.

SLBS’s investigations to date have revealed a limited amount of the affected product on the local market. With the co-operation of importers and retailers, the affected items have been removed from the market and their sale prohibited.

Recent reports coming out of Trinidad and Tobago suggested a possible link to Associated Brands Industries Limited - the makers of Sunshine Snacks, Charles Candy and Devon Biscuits. Associated Brands has indicated that it does not purchase peanuts from the Peanut Corporation of America. Our enquiries to the relevant authorities in Trinidad appear to confirm that.

The SLBS will continue to be extremely vigilant in fulfilling its mandate to protect consumer health and safety. The SLBS has intensified its market surveillance programme as well as import monitoring which allows it to intervene prior to the products reaching the market.

The SLBS urges the public to continue to seek information from the relevant agencies regarding health and safety concerns of products available for consumption in St. Lucia. These agencies include the SLBS itself, the Department of Consumer Affairs of the Ministry of Commerce and the Environmental Health Department of the Ministry of Health.