As one of the most anticipated annual festivities in Antigua approaches, the nation’s Central Board of Health is implementing comprehensive pre-event public health measures to slash the risk of foodborne disease outbreaks, with more than 800 food industry workers already completing mandatory food safety certification. Starting from May this year, the public health agency has carried out structured training sessions for roughly 840 people, a large portion of whom are street vendors and food sellers that will operate throughout the Carnival season. The most recent training workshop wrapped up on Thursday, and health officials have noted a marked uptick in participation compared to past years, as more food handlers recognize the importance of official certification to work legally during the celebrations.
Julienne Mannix-Galloway, Principal Public Health Inspector at the Central Board of Health, explained that the early start to the training schedule was a deliberate decision. It gives all food-handling personnel enough time to complete the full curriculum, absorb key safety practices, and meet all regulatory requirements to operate during Carnival. The training curriculum is focused on core food safety pillars: proper environmental sanitation, consistent personal hygiene for food preparers, and temperature control for perishable food items. Vendors received clear guidance on maintaining hot dishes at serving temperatures and keeping cold items refrigerated appropriately, a critical step to stopping harmful bacterial contamination that causes food poisoning.
Beyond temperature rules, training participants also received repeated reminders about regular handwashing throughout food preparation and service, as well as requirements to wear clean work clothing at all times. The programme also included a dedicated module on correct waste management, specifically the disposal of used cooking oil. Mannix-Galloway issued a clear warning to vendors against pouring waste oil into street gutters, noting that pooled oil creates unsanitary conditions that attract rodent and cockroach infestations. Instead, she instructed vendors to store used cooking oil in its original sealed containers and transport it to the official sanitary landfill for proper disposal.
Alongside pre-event food safety training, the Central Board of Health has put in place post-event cleaning protocols to keep celebration venues sanitary throughout the Carnival schedule. Around 10 dedicated cleaning crews have been deployed to clear Carnival City and adjacent surrounding streets of waste immediately after each major Carnival event. Mannix-Galloway shared that crews started cleaning work early on the Sunday following the Carnival’s Opening Parade and T-Shirt Mas, systematically clearing all discarded materials from Carnival City and its neighboring areas to restore sanitary conditions before the next event.
The agency also took part in the Opening Parade itself, launching an educational public awareness float focused on vector control. The float carried the theme “Don’t Let Mosquitoes Join the Carnival Celebration,” designed to educate attendees and residents about the importance of mosquito bite prevention and mosquito population control to reduce the spread of mosquito-borne diseases during the large outdoor gathering.