5.6 tonnes of food destroyed in Jamaica following Hurricane Melissa

Jamaican public health authorities have condemned 5,661 kilogrammes of food in the wake of Hurricane Melissa, Health and Wellness Minister Dr. Christopher Tufton revealed on Tuesday at the House of Representatives.

Tufton did not specify the types or locations of the destroyed food but said the action followed assessments of 5,052 food-handling establishments. “Large farms and food processing plants were visited, and continue to be monitored,” he said, emphasizing that unsafe foods are being excluded from the country’s food supply chain to prevent outbreaks of food-borne illnesses.

The destruction comes as many parishes in southwest Jamaica continue to struggle with electricity shortages or intermittent power following the hurricane, which knocked out the grid of the Jamaica Public Service. The lack of reliable refrigeration has made it difficult to preserve food safely.

“Safety intervention will be strengthened over the next few weeks as more access is gained to the communities that had been marooned or unreachable,” Tufton said.

He added that, to date, the Ministry of Health has not received any unusual reports of disease outbreaks since the hurricane. Surveillance teams within public health have been actively monitoring trends, with special attention on water-borne and mosquito-borne illnesses, which often emerge after extreme weather events.

The minister also reminded citizens to maintain good hygiene, use safe water, and report any symptoms to their nearest health facility.