Two New Safe Zones To Be Established In Montego Bay For Food Vending

Mayor of Montego Bay, Councillor Richard Vernon, says two new Safe Food Zones are being established to formalise and upgrade food vending in the city.

This is being done under the St. James Municipal Corporation’s MoBay STEP UP (Montego Bay Striving Towards Environmental Protection Urban Preservation) Programme.

The initiative, launched in 2024, addresses environmental issues and enhances urban public order in the Second City.

Key aspects of the programme include clearing illegal dumpsites, removing bulky and derelict waste, repairing damaged infrastructure like roads, implementing waste separation bins, and collaborating with various government agencies and private entities.

“The Lower Lawrence Lane area will be the section for the food vendors, so those who are selling soup, burgers, hot dogs, and those types of stuff, they are going to have their space; that will be a Safe Food Zone,” Councillor Vernon explained.

In an interview with journalists, recently, he outlined that a second Safe Food Zone will be created at the cul-de-sac at Fourth Street.

“So, the persons who sell jerk chicken and whatever else they sell at the Fourth Street area, they will be facilitated at the cul-de-sac,” he noted.

The Mayor informed that in both locations, vendors will operate under strict sanitary conditions, “so they can properly execute their thing in a sanitary way.”

“Bathrooms will be there, and they will also be required to have a prescribed type of apparatus within the space,” Councillor Vernon underscored.