NCBJ Embarks on Service Delivery Expansion Project

The National Certification Body of Jamaica (NCBJ) has embarked on a project aimed at expanding its service offerings to manufacturers and exporters locally and in Caribbean Forum (CARIFORUM) countries.

The project, titled ‘Expansion of Certification Services by the National Certification Body of Jamaica’, began in the fourth quarter of calendar year 2020 when the NCBJ, through the Bureau of Standards Jamaica (BSJ), responded to a call for project proposals.

The agency applied to the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) for assistance to add a Food Safety Management System (FSMS) to its scope of operations. Approximately €157,000 in grant support was provided to NCBJ to fund the 24-month-long project.

Speaking during a Jamaica Information Service (JIS) ‘Think Tank’ on Tuesday (November 29), NCBJ Acting Team Leader, Diane Allison, informed that the grant will assist the agency to implement a particular food-safety scheme that complies with the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI).

“The grant has provided the certification body with an opportunity to conduct a market needs assessment across CARIFORUM countries, with the idea being that we would offer this certification to those countries,” she added.

Ms. Allison indicated that consequent on an assessment conducted to determine the best FSMS certification regime that is in high demand for Jamaica and CARIFORUM food manufacturers and exporters, the GLOBALG.A.P. (Good Agricultural Practices) certification process was found to be of greatest interest.

The GLOBALG.A.P. is the internationally recognised standard for farm production that helps producers meet the demand for high-quality sustainable food and allows retailers and consumers to choose quality produce with confidence. The certification regime is recognised in more than 100 countries and by the GFSI.

Ms. Allison told JIS News that under the CDB’s procurement guidelines, the NCBJ sought consultancy to implement the requirements for ISO/IEC 17065:2012, the scheme under which GLOBALG.A.P certification falls.

“While the consultancy will assist with implementing the requirements, it will also assist the agency with applying for the accreditation [and] train its auditors, experts and staff to understand the Standard,” she pointed out.

Ms. Allison indicated: “It will also assist us to present our application to the accreditation body, so that we are able to get accredited [and] can offer this certification to agro-processors and farmers across CARIFORUM countries.”

She said the project aims to create greater focus and capacity-building in a selected FSMS, suitable for a majority of CARIFOURM exporters.

Other benefits include the availability of accessible and low-cost certification services in FSMS in Jamaica and the region; improved technical capacity of quality practitioners with new skills and certification training; improved financial sustainability of the NCBJ, through new business and income generation; enhancement of Jamaica’s National Quality Infrastructure, and a quality institute that serves the region.

The project, which is expected to conclude by March 2023, is supported by the Caribbean Forum-European Union (CARIFORUM-EU) Standby Facility; CARIFORUM-EU Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), and the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) Standby Facility for Capacity-building.

The National Certification Body of Jamaica is an agency of the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce that was established in 2007 to offer certification services to companies locally and in the Caribbean.