The New GOV.KY Has Launched

Food Safety

The food industry is an important part of the economy of the Cayman Islands. Residents and visitors demand high standards of hygiene from the food establishments they visit and the food they eat must be safe.

Food Safety refers to the handling, processing, preparing and storing of food in a way to best reduce the risk of individuals becoming sick from foodborne illnesses.

In the Cayman Islands, food safety is primarily the responsibility of the Department of Environmental Health (DEH). The DEH Food Safety team is responsible for the development, implementation and oversight of the Food Safety and Surveillance programme.

It employs Environmental Health Officers (EHO) with specific responsibility to ensure that food businesses operate in a safe and hygienic way. We are committed to ensuring that the foods we consume are safe and wholesome to eat.

The DEH Food Safety team also works closely with other Government Departments including:

Department of Public Health in the investigation of food borne illness
Department of Agriculture (DOA) in the importation of foodstuffs in particular meats and meat products, fish and other seafood and produce. DOA also undertake ante-mortem inspection of animals intended for slaughter.
Department of Commerce and Investment in the issuance/renewal of business licenses e.g. trade and business licenses and liquor and tobacco licenses. These businesses must be approved by DEH prior to operation.
Department of Tourism in the issuance/renewal of tourism licenses for hotels and other tourism accommodation.

The Food Safety Team undertakes the following activities:

Food Premises Inspections

Inspections of food businesses are undertaken to ensure the public is protected from unsatisfactory hygiene conditions and unsafe food. Examples include restaurants, hotels, supermarkets, bars, schools, wholesalers and importers, hospitals, liquor stores, and mobile food vendors.

The EHO will look for food safety hazards and how the business is controlling them. For example:

Contamination of foods
Temperature Control
Cleaning and disinfection
Personal Hygiene
Pest infestation
Storage of foods
Premises and equipment condition

Food Businesses are inspected in accordance with DEH Food Safety Guidelines. Frequency of inspection is based on the risk to food safety that businesses present in terms of:

types of food handled
size of the business
the compliance with good food hygiene practice
confidence in management

Inspection of Imported Foods

The Cayman Islands is almost totally dependent on imported food to feed residents and visitors. Foods are imported from all over the world in dry and temperature controlled containers.

The DEH Imported Food Examination Programme is aimed to safeguard the integrity of the food chain. DEH officers examine imported foods that arrive in the Cayman Islands. If a consignment does not meet safety requirements DEH can seize and condemn foods to prevent them being used for human consumption.

Food Hygiene Training

Food handlers must have sufficient knowledge and supervision to ensure they can do their tasks in a safe and hygienic way. The DEH offers two food hygiene courses:

Basic Food Hygiene Certificate
Food Hygiene Awareness for Importers and Wholesalers

These courses cover the causes of food borne illness and how to prevent food poisoning through the control of contamination, temperature control, safe storage and preparation of foods, cleaning and disinfection, personal hygiene, pest control, and design and construction of food business.

Food Recall Surveillance Programme

The Food Safety team is responsible for monitoring food recalls that relate to food imported into the Cayman Islands. Food recalls can be received through international food enforcement agencies including US Food & Drug Administration (USFDA) and the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), and other Caribbean and UK agencies.

Foods can be recalled because of microbiological, chemical or foreign body contamination, mislabeling or other matters that may affect the safety and integrity of the food.

Recalled foods will be condemned and destroyed to ensure they do are not used for human consumption.

Food Recall

Inspection of Locally Slaughtered Animals for Human Consumption

Locally produced meat is inspected to ensure it is safe to eat. This is to determine if a carcass is free from disease or such contamination that may render it unfit for human consumption.

The Department of Agriculture is responsible for the ante-mortem inspection to ensure the live animal is fit to be slaughtered. DEH is responsible for the post-mortem inspection to ensure the meat produced is safe to eat. Once inspected and passed, the carcass is marked with the DEH stamp. Unfit carcasses are condemned and disposed of.

Click to download the Meat Inspection Form PDF or Fill out the form online by selecting the "Meat Inspection Form" button.

Meat Inspection Form

Download PDF

The Investigation of Food Complaints

DEH investigates consumer complaints concerning the sale of food and condition of food businesses. These include:

Microbiological contamination of foods e.g. bacteria, mould
Foreign objects found in foods e.g. insects, glass, metal, hair
Chemical contamination of food e.g. cleaning chemicals, pesticides
Hygienic condition of food premises.

Select Online form to file a complaint or Investigation.

Complaints and Investigation Form

Download PDF

Sampling of Food & Water

Sampling of food and water is undertaken to monitor that food produced is safe to eat. EHOs will sample water and ready-to-eat foods which are analyzed for microbiological contamination in the DEH Laboratory. Surface swab samples are also taken to ensure that standards of cleaning and disinfection meet DEH standards.

Investigation of Cases of Food Borne Illness

Outbreaks and cases of suspected food poisoning are investigated to determine the cause of the food borne illness and to ensure controls are put in place to prevent a recurrence. DEH works closely with the Public Health Department and the Epidemiological Surveillance Officer.

Food Condemnation Programme

Where foods are found to be unfit for human consumption they can be seized and condemned by DEH Food Officers. This is often as a response to a food recall or as a result of unsatisfactory food handling practices within a food business.

Food Business Plan Reviews

All food related business require approval from DEH prior to operation. An application must be made to the DEH Engineering Team with all relevant information about the business and a plan drawing of the layout. The application will be reviewed by DEH Engineering and will not be approved until all DEH food safety standards and all relevant Building Code standards are complied with.

Food Hygiene Safety - Department of Environmental Health