...all of us and our health Safe food is part of the human right to food! Food is essential for health and well-being, but it is also a cause of illness which can have seriously damaging effects on individuals, particularly young children and on society as a whole. Foodborne illness, which is a major burden on the economy, is extensively under-reported. The safety of food is now a growing and complex Public Health issue in the Caribbean. Do you know what you are eating? Are foods and snacks prepared and served according to strict safety practices? What information do you need to provide you with these answers? Mr. Ramsey delivers gasoline to service stations across Trinidad. His wife is a secretary with a large private sector organization. Their children, Sahdia, eight and Anand nine, attend school 45 minutes from Ms Ramsey's workplace. To avoid the bottleneck traffic, breakfast is usually a cup of coffee for Mr. Ramsey and cereal for Ms. Ramsey and the children. By 10:00am, Mr. Ramsey buys breakfast, mainly fast food prepared by one of the many small independent food vendors along his route. He also purchases lunch usually from a more recognized fast food chain. At work, Ms. Ramsey survives on fruits purchased from the local market on weekends and a home-made sandwich. The children's school meals are provided through government school feeding programmes. They purchase snacks, which vary from homemade icecream, packaged candies, including sweet and savory processed local fruits to hotdogs. Dinner is usually fish or some type of meat and vegetables with either rice or flour-based staple. The food items are purchased from supermarkets and vegetables from a roadside stall. The Ramsey story shows that overall, over 75% of the food consumed originates extra-regional sources, with a high level of traceability. It is difficult to trace the origin of locally produced foods. Also, a high percentage of the food consumed is prepared outside of the home. The diverse sources that contribute to the food needs of the Ramsey family demonstrates how complicated the issue of food safety is in today’s fast paced living and the need for information on all aspects of food safety and nutrition at all levels. promoting a wider appreciation of information and knowledge management for agricultural development generally and specifically, support for the IICA/CTA MEAgrISys project. #3 of 2007 a collaborative effort of: Naitram Ramnanan CaRAPN Member and: Diana Francis Trade Policies and Negotiations Programme IICA Caribbean Region enabled by: Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA –ACP) The Views expressed herein are not necessarily those of the CTA and IICA
