Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana – As the countdown begins for the staging of the Ninth Caribbean Festival of Arts (CARIFESTA IX) from 22 September to 1 October in Trinidad and Tobago, CARICOM’s Consultant for CARIFESTA, Dr Carole Maison-Bishop has hailed the culinary arts as a significant aspect of the Region’s cultural legacy.
Dr. Maison-Bishop made this observation as she addressed members of the Caribbean Association of Home Economists (CAHE) on Saturday 22 July in Georgetown, Guyana, at the launch of the book An Adventure in Caribbean Cuisine. In inviting CAHE to participate in CARIFESTA IX Dr Maison-Bishop noted that the publication was a “timely initiative.”
The CARIFESTA Consultant stated that the Caribbean had not escaped the negative impact of globalization including its influence on culture and food consumption. She expressed alarm at the Region’s increased spending on imported food items despite the availability of adequate healthy domestic foods, and noted that this posed serious implications for the Region’s food security.
Dr. Maison-Bishop cited the “proliferation of fast food” as a glaring example of food globalization, and stated, “The Caribbean must be concerned with the globalization of food and the impact that it can have on the Region.”
The Adventure in Caribbean Cuisine features a collection of more than 100 recipes which were compiled by a team of 28 CAHE contributors drawn from CARICOM Member States and Associate Members, as well as other Caribbean territories and analyzed by the Caribbean Food and Nutrition Institute (CFNI).
It provides nutrition and cost benefits associated with eating locally-produced foods, with a view to lowering the Region’s food import bill which is now just over US$1.5 B.
