Food Safety and Quality Division

Objectives

The objectives of the Food Safety and Quality Division are:

• to regulate food safety and quality at every stage of the food chain;
• to regulate all food, including fish and meat; and
• generally, to protect human health, and consumer interests, including fair practices in trade.
• In order to achieve these objectives, food safety and quality shall be based on risk assessment, which is based on the available scientific evidence, undertaken in an independent, objective and
• transparent manner.
• Where relevant scientific evidence is insufficient, food safety measures may be adopted on the basis of available pertinent information, including information from relevant international organizations.

Local Collaborating Agencies

• The Ministry of Health
  • The Surveillance Unit
  • The Nutrition Unit
  • The desk of the International Food Safety Authorities Network (INFOSAN)
  • The Food Handler's Unit
• The Department of Environmental Health Services
  
  • Food Inspectors
• Ministry of Agriculture and Marine Resources
  • The Department of Marine Resources (DOMR)
  • The Department of Agriculture (DOA)
• The Customs Department
• The Bahamas Bureau of Standards and Quality (BBSQ)
  • The Food and Food Products Technical Committee
• The Bahamas Agricultural and Industrial Corporation
• The Bahamas Agricultural and Marine Sciences Institute

Regional Collaborating Agencies

• The CARICOM Regional Organization for Standards and Quality (CROSQ)
• The Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA)
• The Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI)
• The Caribbean Agricultural Health and Food Safety Agency (CAHFSA)

International Collaborating Agencies

• WHO/FAO joint Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC)
• Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
• World Health Organization
  • The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) - regional arm

International Year of Fruits and Vegetables 2021 Background Paper: Fruits and Vegetables-Your Dietary Essentials.

"In declaring 2021 as the International Year of Fruits and Vegetables, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly aims to raise awareness of the nutritional and health benefits of fruit and vegetables and their contribution to a balanced and healthy diet and lifestyle. It also hopes to draw attention to the need to reduce losses and waste in the fruit and vegetable sector (UN, 2020) while delivering better on environmental outcomes." Visit http://www.fao.org/3/cb2395en/CB2395EN.pdf to learn more.

Resources

• Director's BAHFSA Biography Dr Patricia J. A. Johnson
  
• COVID-19 General Food Handlers
• Fishermen Guidelines (Environmental Hygiene and Management Of The Fish Market)
• Hurricane Backpack Kit
• Hurricane Preparedness - Food Kits
• Hurricane Preparedness - Food Safety During Power Outage
• Hurricane Preparedness - Food Vendors and Volunteers
• Hurricane Preparedness - Sanitization Of Water For Safe Use
• Hurricane Preparedness - Volunteers In Food Preparation
• Personal Hygiene and Coronavirus
• FSQ Pamphlet
• Frequently Asked Questions; Food Business Registration
• Frequently Asked Questions About Suspected Conch Poisoning
• Coconut Water Daily Food Safety Guide
• Application for The Registration of a Food Business Establishment.
• BAHFSA FSQ Food Business Registration Certificate
• Certificate of Sanitation for a Food Business

Links

• Conch PSA Video - https://youtu.be/4FV05MVowDQ
• Food Safety and Quality Act (2016) - http://laws.bahamas.gov.bs/cms/images/LEGISLATION/PRINCIPAL/2016/2016-0005/FoodSafetyandQualityAct2016_1.pdf
• Codex Alimentarius Commission - http://www.fao.org/fao-who-codexalimentarius/en/
• International Food Safety Authorities Network (INFOSAN) - http://www.fao.org/policy-support/mechanisms/mechanisms-details/en/c/448741/
• The U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) - https://www.fsis.usda.gov/
• U.S. Food and Drug Administration - https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts
• FoodSafety.gov - https://www.foodsafety.gov/
• Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) - https://www.fda.gov/food/guidance-regulation-food-and-dietary-supplements/food-safety-modernization-act-fsma
• Centers For Disease Control and Prevention - https://www.cdc.gov/
• Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of The United Nations – Food Safety and Quality - http://www.fao.org/food-safety/resources/publications/en/
• Refrigerator and Freezer Storage Chart - https://www.fda.gov/media/74435/download
• Food Safety Program Template Records for Retail and Food Service Businesses - https://www.dhhs.tas.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/165379/Food_Safety_Program_Template_Records_Jan_2014.pdf
• Develop a Food Safety Plan (Based on HACCP Principles) - https://www.adiveter.com/ftp_public/industry-safe.pdf
• Foodkeeper App - https://www.foodsafety.gov/keep-food-safe/foodkeeper-app
  

Activities

2020

• Good Agricultural Practices (GAP)
  • Good Agricultural Practices - Crop Production
  • Good Hygiene Practices and Food Safety Systems Regulation
• Well Water Investigations on North Andros - 2020

Workshops and Training

• Integrated Water Resource Management Workshop - 2020
• World Food Safety Day Webinar - June 7, 2021 - view on BAHFSA Facebook page
• Webinar - Food Safety and Quality Act - November 25, 2020 - view on BAHFSA Facebook page
  
• World Food Safety Day - Meet the Executive Team - June 17th, 2020 - view on BAHFSA Facebook page
• World Food Safety Day - Food Safety in The Food Industry - June 24, 2020 - view on BAHFSA Facebook page
• Street Vendor Standards and Guidelines Webinar targeting Coconut Vendors - August, 2020
• Street Vendor Standards and Guidelines Webinar for School Vendors and Caterers - September, 2020
• Food Handling and Preparation Vendor Training (Face-to-Face) at Potter's Cay Dock (May 13, 2021); Montague Dock (May 27, 2021), Blue Hill Road Farmers Market (June 3, 2021) and Arawak Cay (June 16, 2021).