Jamaica Focused on Food Safety as Part of Export Drive

The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, has reaffirmed its commitment to food safety as it ramps up efforts to increase exports.

“Food safety is everybody’s business. It will take our collective efforts to ensure that the highest standards of safety and quality are synonymous with Jamaican agricultural exports.

“This will help us to continue to bolster our position on the global market and to uphold the reputation that Jamaican produces safe, healthy products of the highest quality,” Portfolio Minister, Hon. Floyd Green said.

He was delivering remarks at the opening session of the Bureau of Standards Jamaica (BSJ)/United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Summit on the Produce Safety Rule, Food Security and Agribusiness Council, held at the AC Hotel by Marriott in Kingston on Tuesday (September 26).

“We continue to work to ensure that safe food production begins on the farm. We recognise the pivotal role we play by employing good manufacturing practices at our packaging facilities,” Mr. Green said, noting that of the 113 active packaging houses across the island, 64 are operating above standard.

He said Jamaica’s agricultural produce are in high demand across the world, and the US is one of the country’s major export markets.

“In fact, it accounts for 52 per cent of the total volume exported annually,” Mr. Green said, noting that under the Jamaica PreClearance Programme initiated in 1984, the country has exported more than 50 horticultural commodities to the US, with yam, breadfruit and hot pepper topping the list for decades.

Over the past two years, Jamaica exported an average of 40 million kilograms of fresh agricultural produce to the US valued at US$40 million.

Principal Director in the Ministry of Investment, Industry and Commerce, Karl Hyatt, commended the FDA for its consistent engagement and outreach programmes.

“Jamaican stakeholders have a responsibility to be educated about the requirements of the US and seek to constantly be in compliance. Non-compliance has repercussions far beyond the individual export. It will not be just a matter of produce being detained or rejected. There are cost implications for the company resulting in loss of revenue for the company and the country. Beyond that, the implication for Jamaica is also far-reaching, as it could also affect trade with other countries resulting in a negative impact on brand Jamaica,” he explained.

For his part, Director of the FDA Office of Food Safety, Dr. Mark Moorman, noted that food safety is a shared mission.

“Our food supply is global and we must work together to protect consumers from all our countries from unsafe food. If food-borne illness is found in any country, it is likely to be found in every country,” he contended.

For that reason, Dr. Moorman said it is critical to increase education and outreach as well as help farmers to implement and comply with food-safety rules.

He shared that the three-day summit will explore, among other things, the four key areas of the new era of smarter food safety, which are – technology-enabled traceability, smarter tools and approaches for prevention and outbreak response, new business models, and food-safety culture.

Meanwhile, BSJ Director of Standards, Julia Bonner Douett, said the entity remains committed to working with stakeholders to develop and strengthen their standards.

She shared that the Food Safety Modernisation Branch of the BSJ has evolved over the years and has become an important partner of the FDA in communicating export requirements.

“Today’s collaboration, along with other organisations of government and private sector, is testimony of the shared vision to help prepare our business people to more easily access the United States market,” she remarked.