CARPHA And NCC Strengthen Food Safety Preparedness For Carnival

More than 200 food vendors who will operate at the FLAVA Village at the Queen’s Park Savannah during Carnival 2027 are now better equipped to safely prepare and serve food following two specialised Food and Environmental Safety Training sessions delivered by the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) in collaboration with the National Carnival Commission of Trinidad and Tobago (NCC). The training initiative was designed to strengthen vendors’ knowledge of food safety, hygiene, and environmental health practices, helping to reduce the risk of foodborne illnesses and ensure a safe dining experience for the thousands of patrons expected to attend the festival.

The training was held on Tuesday, 6 October as part of the NCC’s Vendor Excellence & Sustainability Training (VEST) Programme, which is preparing food, beverage and craft vendors for Carnival 2027. The sessions, delivered by CARPHA’s Regional Tourism and Health Program (THP) team, were conducted in two groups, with approximately 115 participants attending each. Facilitators included Dr. Lisa Indar, Executive Director, CARPHA; Mr. Keston Daniel, Visitor-Based Surveillance Coordinator; Dr. Sastee Kissoondan, Senior Technical Officer; Ms. Samantha Llanos, Epidemiologist, Visitor-Based Surveillance; and Ms. Frieda Mohammed, Training and Standards Officer. The sessions drew on the THP’s specialised work at the intersection of public health, tourism, food safety and mass gathering preparedness.

The training covered food safety during mass gatherings, common foodborne disease pathogens, personal hygiene and environmental health, and practical measures to ensure food is safely purchased, received, stored, prepared, cooked, handled and served in a food vendor setting. Attendees were also individually provided with various infographics detailing specific food safety practices, such as glove wearing, hand washing and temperature checks, supplementing the learning outlined throughout the training.