Chief Executive Officer of the Barbados Agricultural Society, James Paul, speaking at a food vendor workshop for Agrofest at the Dining Club yesterday. (C.Pitt/BGIS)
Unsavoury and illegal activities will not be tolerated at Agrofest when it is held from February 23 to 25 in Queen’s Park.
Chief Executive Officer of the Barbados Agricultural Society (BAS), James Paul, made this clear as he addressed participants at a food vendor workshop, held in preparation for the annual exhibition, at the Dining Club yesterday.
Agrofest, which is in its 14th year, has been incident-free and Mr. Paul stressed that the organisers intend to keep it that way. “We continue to have a very safe event and we will take extra precautions to make sure that it continues to be safe. It needs, however, the cooperation of all the exhibitors in this regard.
“We will not tolerate any incidents where people get out of hand. That is why we do not allow certain activities. First of all, you know smoking is a no-no in the Park …we want to think that you can bring your baby in arms and feel safe,” Mr. Paul stated, noting that Agrofest was a family event.
Adding that food safety remained a priority, the BAS head encouraged vendors to ensure that they follow the advice of the Ministry of Health.
“We have not had any bad experiences so far and we want to ensure that this continues. The Ministry of Health will be monitoring as usual and they do an extremely good job every year to ensure that we do not have food on sale that is not fit for the public,” he pointed out.
Mr. Paul also urged the participants to take advantage of all training seminars and workshops, stating that there is nothing wrong with attending refresher courses in food preparation and handling.