Bahamas News
The People of the Caribbean Have a Right to Know What is in Their Foods
#TheCaribbean, October 6, 2021 – “The people of the Caribbean have a right to know for themselves and their families what is in their foods. Further, research in the Caribbean has shown that Front of Package Warning Labels such as octagonal front-of-package warning labels (FOPWL) are the best performing system for allowing consumers to correctly, quickly, and easily identify products that contain excessive amounts of the critical nutrients sugar, sodium, total fat, saturated fat and trans fat. It is also important for consumers to have the ability to compare foods in order to make the healthiest choices for foods which contain the most nutritional value,” stated Dr. Joy St. John. The Executive Director of CARPHA was delivering opening remarks at the start of a webinar hosted by the Caribbean Public Health Agency.
On Wednesday 27 September, a panel of experts came together to discuss “Critical actions for food labelling…to save life and livelihoods. The webinar, part of the CARPHA COVID-19 Health Rounds, sought to raise awareness of the importance of food labels, including FOPWL and highlight activities to engage Governments and consumers.
Since the declaration of the COVID-19 pandemic, CARPHA has embarked on a series of webinars aimed at imparting knowledge about the virus. The issue of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) is being given attention and priority, as it has been widely documented that people with underlying conditions, especially NCDs, are most at risk for death and severe illness from COVID-19.
In his welcome remarks, Mr. Dean Chambliss, Sub-Regional Program Director, Caribbean Program Coordination PAHO stated “To date, the Caribbean population still does not have access to clear information on whether a product is excessive in sugars, sodium, saturated fats, trans fats or total fats. In the absence of clear, easily understood warning labels on the front of packages, people will continue to blindly buy products without knowing whether they contain an excess of these nutrients. This is even more relevant during the COVID-19 pandemic, when it is crucial to help consumers at higher risk avoid products excessive in unhealthy nutrients. Without effective measures to prevent unhealthy diets, the rise of NCDs will remain unstoppable, with irreparable consequences on health, as well as economic development and productivity.”
In the session, Mr. Rashad Brathwaite, Human Rights Attorney, addressed the transformative space for food laws and policy, as it may now be possible to expect Governments to approach the health of consumers from a holistic standpoint. Therefore, the transformative space looks at the obligations of Governments to act, where the right to health is concerned, and this may include FOPWL. He stated, “The strength of the evidence is important when considering food policy from the space of domestic human rights and the rule of law.” It should be noted that there are various types of FOPWL and the strength of the scientific evidence regarding the best FOPWL model should also be considered by Governments where policy implications are concerned.
Mrs. Laura Roberts-Hall, President, Trinidad and Tobago Association of Nutritionists and Dietitians, explained the difference between food labels and nutrition facts labels. She also highlighted the benefits of supermarket tours to consumers, especially the component of a tour that explains food label components to allow persons to correctly read nutrition facts labels. Persons during supermarket tours typically find food labels to be confusing so Mrs. Roberts-Hall expressed the need for FOPWL with the octagonal warning signs, as these are simple and the easiest for consumers to understand.
Senior Standards Officer at the Jamaica Bureau of Standards, Ms Phillipa O’Connor presented insights into the comprehensive approach by Jamaica for Standards development, as there is a National Mirror Committee. The CARICOM Regional Standard for Specification for labelling of pre-packaged foods (CARICOM CRS5) is mandatory in Jamaica. For the revision of the CARICOM CRS5, Jamaica involved a wide cross section of stakeholders, including the food industry. However, based on the votes received, Jamaica did not approve the revisions as there was a request for more than one FOPWL model to be included, in addition to the octagonal model.
Ms. Elizabeth Orlan, Associate Director, Research for the Food Policy Program Global Health Advocacy Incubator highlighted the work of her agency, and its support to advocacy campaigns calling for healthy food policies at the national level, given the confusion consumers may encounter, as foods high in critical nutrients may still be labelled as healthy.
The session was quite insightful and gathered over 60 engaged attendees throughout the online event. The moderator was Dr. Keisha T Roberts, Senior Technical Officer, Food Security and Nutrition, at CARPHA.
PM: Project delivers on promise and invests in youth, sports and national development
GRAND BAHAMA, The Bahamas — Calling it the fulfillment of a major commitment to the island, Prime Minister Philip Davis led the official groundbreaking for the Grand Bahama Aquatic Centre, a facility the government says will transform sports development and create new opportunities for young athletes.
Speaking at the Grand Bahama Sports Complex on February 12, the Prime Minister said the project represents more than bricks and mortar
— it is an investment in people, national pride and long-term economic activity. The planned complex will feature a modern 50-metre competition pool, designed to meet international standards for training and regional and global swim meets. Davis said the facility will give Bahamian swimmers a home capable of producing world-class performance while also providing a space for community recreation, learn-to-swim programmes and water safety training.
He noted that Grand Bahama has long produced outstanding athletes despite limited infrastructure and said the new centre is intended to correct that imbalance, positioning the island as a hub for aquatic sports and sports tourism.
The Prime Minister also linked the development to the broader national recovery and revitalisation of Grand Bahama, describing the project as part of a strategy to expand opportunities for young people, create jobs during construction and stimulate activity for small businesses once operational.
The Aquatic Centre, he said, stands as proof that promises made to Grand Bahama are being delivered.
The project is expected to support athlete development, attract competitions, and provide a safe, modern environment for residents to access swimming and water-based programmes for generations to come.
Angle by Deandrea Hamilton. Built with ChatGPT (AI). Magnetic Media — CAPTURING LIFE.
The Bahamas, February 15, 2026 – For the better part of three years, Bahamians have been told that major Afreximbank financing would help transform access to capital, rebuild infrastructure and unlock economic growth across the islands. The headline figures are large. The signing ceremonies are high profile. The language is ambitious. What remains far harder to see is the measurable impact in the daily lives of the people those announcements are meant to serve.
The Government’s push to secure up to $100 million from Afreximbank for roughly 200 miles of Family Island roads dates back to 2025. In
its February 11 disclosure, the bank outlined a receivables-discounting facility — a structure that allows a contractor to be paid early once work is completed, certified and invoiced, with the Government settling the bill later. It is not cash placed into the economy upfront. It does not, by itself, build a single mile of road. Every dollar depends on work first being delivered and approved.
The wider framework has been described as support for “climate-resilient and trade-enhancing infrastructure,” a phrase that, in practical terms, should mean projects that lower the cost of doing business, move people and goods faster, and keep the economy functioning. But for communities, that promise becomes real only when the projects are named, the standards are defined and a clear timeline is given for when work will begin — and when it will be finished.
Bahamians have seen this moment before.
In 2023, a $30 million Afreximbank facility for the Bahamas Development Bank was hailed as a breakthrough that would expand access to financing for local enterprise. It worked in one immediate and measurable way: it encouraged businesses to apply. Established, revenue-generating Bahamian companies responded to the call, prepared plans, and entered a process they believed had been capitalised to support growth. The unanswered question is how much of that capital has reached the private sector in a form that allowed those businesses to expand, hire and generate new economic activity.
Because development is not measured in the size of announcements.
It is measured in loans disbursed, projects completed and businesses expanded.
The pattern is becoming difficult to ignore. In June 2024, when Afreximbank held its inaugural Caribbean Annual Meetings in Nassau,
Grand Bahama was presented as the future home of an Afro-Caribbean marketplace said to carry tens of millions of dollars in investment. What was confirmed at that stage was a $1.86 million project-preparation facility — funding for studies and planning to make the development bankable, not construction financing. The larger build-out remains dependent on additional approvals, land acquisition and further capital.
This distinction — between financing announced and financing that produces visible, measurable outcomes — is now at the centre of the national conversation.
Because while the numbers grow larger on paper, entrepreneurs still describe access to capital as out of reach, and communities across the Family Islands are still waiting to see where the work will start.
And in an economy where stalled growth translates into lost opportunity, rising frustration and real social consequences, the gap between promise and delivery is no longer a communications issue.
It is an inability to convert announcements into outcomes.
Angle by Deandrea Hamilton. Built with ChatGPT (AI). Magnetic Media — CAPTURING LIFE.
A hardline strategy that reduced murders, gunfire, and collateral deaths
The Bahamas, February 8, 2026 – What happens when police stop routinely granting bail to high-risk suspects and aggressively execute outstanding warrants? In The Bahamas, the answer in 2025 was fewer murders, fewer gunshots, and safer communities.
The Royal Bahamas Police Force arrested 4,337 individuals on outstanding warrants last year, ensuring suspects were brought directly before the courts instead of being released back onto the streets. At the same time, police significantly curtailed the use of police bail for high-risk and repeat offenders, particularly those already entangled in violent disputes.
Police Commissioner Shanta Knowles said the shift was informed by hard lessons from previous years. Intelligence reviews showed that
many homicide victims were not random targets, but men already wanted by law enforcement and — critically — by other criminals. When released on bail, those individuals often became targets themselves, triggering retaliatory shootings that spilled into neighbourhoods, roadways and public spaces.
By keeping high-risk suspects in custody pending court appearances, police say they disrupted that cycle — removing both potential offenders and potential victims from the streets.
The impact was stark. Murders declined by 31 percent in 2025, falling from 120 in 2024 to 83, the largest percentage decrease in homicides since national tracking began in 1963 and the lowest murder count in nearly two decades.
Police leaders say the strategy also reduced the collateral damage that had increasingly alarmed communities. Innocent residents had been caught in “sprays of gunfire” as targeted attacks unfolded in residential areas, at traffic stops, and in public settings.
Gun-violence indicators reflected the change. Gunshot reports fell by 35 percent, while incidents detected by ShotSpotter technology declined by 29 percent, confirming that fewer shots were being fired across the country.
“Gunshots ringing out and cutting through our peaceful paradise were down remarkably,” Commissioner Knowles said, attributing the improvement to decisive enforcement, tighter bail practices, and sustained pressure on offenders.
Police also intensified enforcement against breach of bail conditions, charging and detaining more suspects than in any previous reporting period. Officers say the approach removed the opportunity for repeat offending while matters were before the courts.
Police leadership said the results go beyond statistics. By limiting bail for high-risk suspects and executing warrants at scale, the strategy saved lives, protected bystanders, and restored confidence in public safety.
In 2025, fewer people were hunted, fewer bullets were fired, and fewer families were left grieving — a shift police say was no accident, but the result of deliberate, hardline choices.
Angle by Deandrea Hamilton. Built with ChatGPT (AI). Magnetic Media — CAPTURING LIFE.
-
News4 days agoDDME Staff Strengthen Disaster Management Capacity Through Professional Development Workshop
-
News1 week agoMulti-Agency Enforcement Action Conducted in Five Cays
-
Caribbean News5 days agoLiberty Caribbean Supports Regional Forum on AI, Cyber Resilience and Digital Inclusion
-
News4 days agoThe Turks and Caicos Islands Set Positive Start to 2026 with Increase in January Stayover Arrivals