Dear Editor,
Food builds us. We can’t build strong, healthy bodies, minds and brains without food and drink. It is not just about any kind of food but healthy, nourishing food. It is heart-rending to see how we abuse and destroy our blessings. Here, in our dear land of Guyana, we have an abundance and variety of natural food; fruits and vegetables recommended for eating our way to good health. However, like many other facets of our natural resources, there is a lack of regulations and constant supervision. Food inspections seem to be non-existent as none are ever witnessed, even with our numerous markets and open air vending. Vendors openly cut fruit for retail with hands and knives of unknown cleanliness. These fruit are then placed in plastic bags for sale where bacteria thrives after a few hours of containment. Meats, chicken and eggs can be seen on stands for hours or an entire day (maybe left there longer).
Fruits are being picked from trees before ripening. Due to this, they are invariably hard or spoiled when cut. One can be fooled even if the item looks good on the outside. The nutritional value is also lost as maturity should develop while on the tree. Financial hardship and robbery exists due to food listed with weight that is inaccurate.
Drinking water retailing opens the door to accompanying complaints such as the noise from vendors using bullhorns from their vehicles. These vendors use funnels to insert into citizens’ bottles in order to fill them from similar bottles. How clean are these funnels? How clean are these vendors’ hands which hold these funnels? Beverages are also sold in plastic bags and this creates a similar health threat. Customers are given straws (of questionable cleanliness) to insert into the bags.
Let’s face it… some citizens may know the health risks of this type of food and beverages retail but are forced to participate due to poverty or in attempts to be conservative. Surely, there are ways for our government to become involved in the food and beverages retail industry.
Strong bodies, minds and brains are the pre-requisite for strong edifices, roads and bridges. There is a saying: “creep before you walk.” Focusing on this retailing scourge will enhance our citizens’ education, reduce healthcare costs, help to build our economy and create happier citizens, as “we are what we eat.”
It would be remiss of me, if while on this topic of food and beverages, that I do not refer to Barbados’ claim of being the leader in the Caribbean in culinary skills. Guyanese cooking and food is unmatchable when compared with Barbadian food. With our potential and aspiration to be the breadbasket of the Caribbean and our varied dishes from six ethnic groups, we should be the Caricom country to utilize our food, beverages and culinary skills as a tourist attraction, after cleaning up the city and environs. Let’s start an annual event like Barbados’ Rum and Food Festival and encourage participatory chefs from the Caribbean to compete here.
Sincerely,
Conrad Barrow