Report on Contamination by Salmonella
63. The Delegation of Brazil introduced the document prepared as a basis for discussion, describing the major characteristics of Salmonella enteritidis and other Salmonella, and possible means of control. The Committee expressed its appreciation to Brazil for this interesting document and Brazil indicated its willingness to revise it if required and continue its work in this area.
64. The Representative of WHO informed the Committee that educational material including basic recommendations for the control of Salmonella in eggs had been prepared for the use of food handlers.
65. The Committee decided that further consideration should be given to this important subject and agreed that governments would be invited to provide information on their experience with Salmonella spp. and other emerging pathogens by Circular Letter.
b) Food safety in touristic areas
66. The Delegation of the Dominican Republic made a presentation of its experience with foodborne diseases in touristic areas, especially hotels and mass catering in general, stressing the economic and sanitary consequences. Difficulty of adequate training of food handlers were being solved, national texts on hygiene and food handling oriented towards the hotel industry had been developed. One of the difficulties in the touristic sector was the high consumption of imported foodstuffs. The International Congress on Foodborne Diseases in relation with tourism held (Trinidad and Tobago, 1996) had made specific recommendations in this area. Negociations were underway with the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation and a chain of hotels to establish a training centre for the hotel industry in the Caribbean. The Delegation proposed to set up a technical cooperation network on food safety and tourism in the Region, and this was supported by many delegations.
67. Some delegations informed the Committee of their experience with foodborne diseases related with tourism and stressed the importance of training programmes and specific measures to ensure the safety of the water supply. The Delegation of Brazil indicated that advanced training courses for the hotel industry were held at the national level.
68. The Observer from ILSI indicated that the first PanAmerican Conference on Food Safety and Nutrition, organized by ILSI in cooperation with FAO and PAHO, would be held in Mexico City from 8-12 September 1997 and would discuss strategies concerning food safety issues of relevance to the region, including aspects related to touristic areas, and invited interested countries to participate in this event.
