With at least 74 barbecue machines in operation there, Spring Garden could have passed for the barbecue capital of the Crop-Over Festival yesterday.

Some food stalls had just one and some had two. One Farmer's Choice outlet had three and Friends, a stall "where everyone knows your name", had a similar number.

The machines came in all brands, including Kenmore, Fiesta Advantis and Char-Broil, and they ranged from the simple to the sophisticated. Nearly all used bottled gas.

"A lot of people ask about barbecued meat," Gale Dixon of Chill & Grill explained.

The fare at Chill & Grill included barbecued pigtails and hot dogs.

Small businessman Jack Murphy, who operates a roadside bar/restaurant, admitted this was the first Crop-Over Festival in which he was using a barbecue machine.

"Barbecued food is very popular," he said. "Some people also say it's healthy, that it burns off all the fat. It also smells good."

Chief Medical Officer Dr Joy St John said yesterday that the Ministry of Health maintained the strictest health standards for all vendors.

"[Spring Garden vendors] have to show the restaurant licence and the food-handlers' certificate; if they are not there, we shut them down," she said.

She explained that the premises where the foods were prepared or partly cooked were inspected and health inspectors also visited the stalls during Crop-Over to ensure the highest standards were maintained.

In preparation for Cricket World Cup, the ministry was involved in the training of more than 3 000 food-handlers and that programme was continuing, St John reported. (TY)