St. James residents put on alert after crocodile meat found at restaurant

By Nakinskie Robinson   

 

St. James residents are being placed on high alert after the carcass of a protected species was discovered at a restaurant in Montego Bay.

 

Speaking at the monthly meeting of the St. James Municipal Corporation on Thursday, Acting Chief Public Health Inspector Sherika Lewis said crocodile remains were found at the unnamed food establishment during an inspection to determine whether the facility should be reopened.

 

The health department previously shut down the establishment.

 

Ms. Lewis issued a note of caution to the public and food establishments about the kinds of meat legally allowed for consumption. 

 

"Though we may have exotic taste and want to consume various types of meats, we want to ensure that the meats or the animals that are currently approved as meat in Jamaica are animals such as bulls, steer, cow, or other description of cattle, pigs, sheep, lamb, goat or kid, rabbits, or other such mammals, and includes poultry, ducks, geese, turkeys, guinea fowls, or any other birds reared to produce meat," she outlined. 

 

Ms. Lewis said the ongoing meat drive under which inspections are carried out will continue through to mid January 2025.

 

Fifteen meat shops in St. James have so far been checked, eight of which were found to be satisfactory and seven unsatisfactory.

 

Ms. Lewis said several kilogrammes of meat were also seized. 

 

"From this drive, we seized and condemned approximately 140 kilogrammes of local beef and this should be 45 kilogrammes of local goat meat. And this was due to these meats found to be uninspected and stamped by the public health inspectors," she noted.