Port Louis, Mauritius — The Mauritius government is leaving no stone unturned to ensure that consumers have access to safe food, health minister Ashok Jugnauth said Wednesday.

Mauritius is currently celebrating its National food safety month.

The minister emphasised that with the emergence of new food-borne pathogens due to changing production methods, processes, practices and habits, food safety becomes a key challenge for health stakeholders in this new millennium.

"This challenge becomes all too real with the growing degradation of the environment and poor sanitation, unplanned urbanisation, mass production, mass tourism and expanding global food import and export trade," Jugnauth added.

He indicated that all legislation concerning food have been reviewed, updated and consolidated in the new food act in force since 1999.

Compulsory provisions in the food regulations include the labelling of packaged and canned food in both English and French with expiry dates, while pre-market approval permit is necessary for the importation and manufacture of food.

Other provisions include food hygiene as recommended by the FAO and the WHO, training of food handlers in food hygiene and bacteriological norms for raw and prepared food.

Jugnauth said some 17,000-food handlers have been issued with food handlers' certificates after receiving training at the ministry of health.

According to the minister, 214 contravention have been recorded since the enforcement of the Food act.

From January to date, he added, 5,180 containers of imported foodstuff have been examined, while some 200 kg of frozen fish, 120,290 kg of fruits and vegetables and about 85,000 kg of canned foodstuff have been seized and destroyed after being found unfit for consumption.

Jugnauth further stated that cases of food poisoning have increased sharply from nine in 1991 to 113 cases in 1998.