The Ministry of Agriculture has warned Jamaicans that a shipping container containing raw chicken from a Brazilian company that washed ashore along the Hellshire coastline in St. Catherine has not passed proper inspection for human consumption.
According to The Jamaica Observer, the frozen chicken, which was shipped under the Perdix brand, was not supposed to go to Jamaica but was intended to go to the Cayman Islands. The Ministry of Agriculture stated the chickens were never approved to be accepted into Jamaica. The product did not meet the food safety standards for any poultry that enters the Jamaican market, as stipulated in The Animal (Diseases and Importation) Act.
It was also reported that the Veterinary Services Division said that the shipment did not have the necessary import permits and veterinary inspections, potentially posing significant health risks to anyone who consumes the chickens.
The shipment was discovered on April 3.
Although the warning was issued, residents who were able to retrieve the chicken have stated that it was the best they’ve tasted.
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Officials tried to encourage people not to eat the chicken and to contact them to give them an effective way to get rid of the potentially contaminated chicken. Even if the chickens were frozen, they may be unsafe to consume because they did not pass the necessary protocols. Officials say several factors may contribute to the chicken’s safety issues.
Since the container was separated from the vessel it was being carried on, the meat may not have been kept at the correct temperature, causing the possibility of the chicken not being kept at a safe setting. There was a possibility of the chicken being contaminated by seawater and environmental hazards. When meat starts to thaw, the risk of bacterial proliferation increases, leading to officials warning people to avoid the chicken. With these factors, along with others, the advice was for the benefit of anyone who may have come in contact with the chicken.
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