UWI St Augustine’s Faculty of Food and Agriculture is collaborating with UTT, civil society stakeholders and key Government Ministries to take on the Giant African Snail.

Their initiative will seek to establish best practices for the safe handling and sustainable integrated pest management strategies to mitigate agricultural, health and ecological risks.

This includes a look at the practice of eating the snails.

UWI says while the snails are considered a delicacy in some countries, in T&T it remains a highly invasive pest that serves as a vector for rat lungworm and salmonella.

It adds that while no health cases related to eating the snail have been reported locally, the increasing interest in its use as food has reinforced the need for evidence-based protocols.

However, until official protocols are established, both The UWI and UTT are urging the public to refrain from consuming Giant African Snails.