Food Safety Programmes to be strengthened

Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Hon. Anthony Hylton, said the Ministry intends to strengthen its programmes aimed at ensuring the safety of food from production through to consumption. 

“By doing this, we ensure acceptable standards for consumption in our local markets and in the countries to which we export,” the Minister stated.

He was addressing a ceremony held Tuesday Feb. 29 at the Wexford Hotel in Montego Bay, to mark the official opening of the Western Regional Office of the Food Storage and Prevention of Infestation Division (FSPID), which is also located in the second city.

Mr. Hylton said the work of the FSPID is critical in ensuring the safety and wholesomeness of food consumed by Jamaicans and visitors to the island, and also animal feed.

The agency, he said, also assists local producers, who are seeking to do business internationally, by facilitating their readiness to meet the entry requirements for specific countries. This, he said, is critical for Jamaica to expand and maintain its international markets.

Minister Hylton stated that the establishment of the western regional office serves to connect the people of the country with the necessary support and regulatory frameworks, in comprehensive and inclusive ways.

Chief Food Storage Officer at the FSPID, Roy McNeil, in giving an overview of the work of the western regional office, informed that more than 8,000 inspections of food establishments have been carried out since its establishment in 2010. He said that 650 statutory notices for non-compliance and 233 compliance certificates were also issued over the period.

He informed that the FSPID Laboratories located in Kingston are now undergoing the process for international certification.

The FSPID’s western office, located in the United General Insurance Company (UGI) building at 30 – 34 Market Street, was set up two years ago, to serve the food safety needs of the parishes of Trelawny, St. James, Hanover and Westmoreland.  It is staffed by four persons.

By Bryan Miller, JIS Reporter