It is unfortunate that some of the people who attended this
year’s Taste of Cayman became ill from eating some of the food.
Healthcare officials believe some of the food was
contaminated with the bacteria staphylococcus.
Because of the nature of Taste where several restaurants
dish out their fare, it is unclear which food(s) was at fault.
Doctors plan to follow up with the patients who attended
hospital to get an idea of what they ate to narrow down the possible source of
contamination.
Those who contracted food poising and roughed it out at home
and didn’t go to hospital are urged to call health officials at 244-2561 or
244-2621.
It’s important that everyone who came down with food
poisoning symptoms let doctors know what they ate.
While the incidents of food poisoning were unfortunate, the
event can be used as a learning tool for those who take part each year and the
Cayman Islands Tourism Association.
CITA’s Executive Director Jane van der Bol has vowed to
follow through with the Department of Environmental Health to help ensure all
future Taste of Cayman vendors learn appropriate food preparation and
management techniques.
This was the 24th year for Taste of Cayman and the first
time that stomach problems have been associated with the event.
Those who are handling the food at Taste should go through
the same training and exercises demanded of food handlers during Pirates Week events.
Thankfully the majority of the 5,000 people who attended
Taste – the most so far – didn’t experience any stomach issues and had a
thoroughly enjoyable Saturday at Camana Bay.
Taste of Cayman is a premier food and wine festival of the
Cayman Islands and gives people the chance to sample the food of some of the
finest restaurants in Cayman.
Each year it gets bigger and better and we’re sure that next
year’s event will be even greater with CITA working hand-in-hand with DoEH and
the vendors.
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