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.

The Saint Lucia Bureau of Standards is continuing efforts to promote food safety in Saint Lucia. With a new publication targeting consumers the SLBS is expanding its reach from food handlers to consumers who purchase food as well as prepare food for consumption in the home.

The booklet entitled “Preparing Food Safely: A Guide for Consumers” addresses basic food safety guidelines to prevent illnesses arising from unsafe practices in the preparation and handling of food.

The Saint Lucia Bureau of Standards (SLBS) continues to promote and encourage standards for health and safety in food preparation.  A two day training workshop in food safety gets on the way on Tuesday 3rd and Wednesday 4th February at the SLBS Training room at the Bisee Industrial Estate.

The training exercise will be in Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP), a globally recognized approach for developing a food safety system.