Consumers Encouraged to Consult With NCRA to Ascertain Registered Food Establishments

The National Compliance and Regulatory Authority (NCRA) is encouraging consumers to check its website, www.ncra.org.jm, for a list of registered local food establishments.

The agency is responsible for registering pre-packaged food establishments and partnering with businesses to achieve conformance with established standards and regulations. Head of the NCRA’s Food Safety Inspectorate, Janiese Pinnock, said the list is updated monthly and provides details on the names of establishments

and the type of products they are registered to provide.

Ms. Pinnock, who serves as the Inspector-in-Charge, was speaking during a recent Jamaica Information Service (JIS) Think Tank.

She encouraged persons not seeing entities they may be searching for, to reach out to the Authority.

“You can contact us because, during the time the list has been published, maybe your establishment became registered but is not yet on the list,” she said.

A key role that the NCRA plays in assessing establishments is determining the risk level for food. Ms. Pinnock said this process depends on the type of food being manufactured at an establishment. “Whether it is a ready-to-eat food or… food that needs to be heated prior to use… the number of persons consuming that food product and how it is handled determines the level of risk,” she explained.

Ms. Pinnock said while food, in instances, is marketed and sold online, the NCRA still plays a critical role in ensuring these conform to stipulated standards.

“Those food products have to be manufactured in a physical location. We would contact those operators, asking them where they manufacture the product because we would have to still go in and do the investigation. These physical locations where they are manufactured must be registered with the NCRA,” she informed.

Compliance activities and the execution of enforcement actions are also within the NCRA’s remit, as the Authority aims to ensure consistently safe, quality products for consumers.