PHILIPSBURG:--- The Food Safety division of the Inspectorate VSA is responsible for assuring that foods prepared and sold in Sint Maarten are fit and wholesome for human consumption. Food for consumption that is not prepared under hygienic conditions can cause severe gastrointestinal complaints, e.g., weakness, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and severe allergic reactions.
The CTPC (Cross-contamination, Temperature Abuse, and Pest Management) project was launched in June 2025, during which the food safety division focused on inspecting businesses, with an emphasis on the aforementioned safety points. The decision to select these areas of concentration was based on a risk-based inspection assessment conducted in May 2025.
The division of Food Safety of the Inspectorate has adopted a strategy to start informing the public of the latest inspection findings as far as food safety is concerned, to make people more aware of preparing safe food. The results of inspections conducted by the food inspectors employed at the inspectorate will be published quarterly.
The table below shows the results from June 2025 to December 2025.
The most common violations encountered were the following :
Cross Contamination
Super Markets 15%
Buffets 6%
Bakeries 6%
Super Markets with buffets 8%
Bars with food 3%
Food Stands 3%
Temperature Abuse
Super Markets 7%
Buffets 4%
Bakeries 0%
Super Markets with buffets 2%
Bars with food 0%
Food Stands 6%
Temperature Control
Super Markets 36%
Buffets 28%
Bakeries 1%
Super Markets with buffets 12%
Bars with food 0%
Food Stands 9%
Cleanliness
Super Markets 12%
Buffets 8%
Bakeries 3%
Super Markets with buffets 6%
Butcheries 3%
Bars with food 2%
Food Stands 2%
Expired products
Super Markets 8%
Super Markets with buffets 6%
Food Stands 8%
Pest
Food Stands 1%
Super markets & distributors stand out with the highest issues in temperature control (36%) and cross-contamination (15%).
Buffets also show notable problems in temperature control (28%), cleanliness (8%), and cross contamination (8%).
Bakeries have relatively low counts but still show cross-contamination (6%).
Bars with food show two issues across categories, including cleanliness and cross-contamination. (All violations have been corrected to date. Cross-contamination (3%) and cleanliness (2%)
Butcheries report no temperature or contamination issues, but have cleanliness concerns (3%).
Stands show a mix of issues across categories, cross-contamination (3%), temperature control (9%), temperature abuse (6%), and a small presence of pests (1%).
Super Markets with food stand out with the highest issues across the board, and therefore will require stricter monitoring, temperature control (12%) , Expired products (6%), Cleanliness (6%), and cross-contamination (8%) are prevalent.
The owners of the food establishments that were issued warning letters were also informed that, in case of a lack of appropriate measures to correct the violations or a recurrence of the violations, they will be prosecuted in full force by the law.
The Food Safety inspectors, VSA, will continue to be very vigilant during their inspections.
Should you have any questions, please feel free to visit us at: W.G. Buncamper Road #33, Vineyard Building, 2nd floor, upstairs, the tax office, from Monday to Friday, from 8:30 AM to 12:30 PM and 1:30 PM to 4:00 PM. The public is encouraged to call the Inspectorate at +1-721-520-8113 / +1+721-520-6397 during working hours and report situations that appear to be unhygienic and or when experiencing complaints. You can also contact us via e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..