NCRA Commits To Safe Food For Local Consumption

The National Compliance and Regulatory Authority (NCRA) says the organisation is committed to its role in preserving the safety of food consumed locally.

Speaking with JIS News, Inspector, NCRA, Lenworth Clarke, said the Authority continues to monitor local stakeholders to achieve conformance to established standards.

“We maintain a strong enforcement programme by ensuring that standards or regulations are met. We can withdraw foods that are in breach of standards, we can also seize and detain foods that are not in compliance and we can also condemn foods that are not fit for human consumption,” he explained.

Mr. Clarke noted that the NCRA’s role in food safety includes conducting inspections in the domestic market, ports of entry, including airports, and also the registration of food-processing establishments, using Jamaica’s standard specifications for food processing.

“We conduct routine inspections of food-processing establishments, both announced and unannounced. We also inspect food items at retail outlets, such as supermarkets, gas stations and wholesales,” he added.

According to Mr. Clarke, the NCRA also takes samples of labels and food to assess if they meet food-safety standard specifications.

“We test the food to ascertain if the food is free from contaminants, and for the  true chemical properties of the food. It is important that we take the labels to ensure that they are in compliance with our local label standard – the Jamaican Standard Specification for Labelling of pre-packaged foods,” he explained.

Mr Clarke added that the NCRA analyses and interprets test results and provides feedback to stakeholders in the food-processing chain.

“We tell them if it is satisfactory or not; we ensure that the measures that are not met are stated clearly to the clients and we request for them to make adjustments to their processes. We also certify food. This is done mainly for meat products, such as cured meat, canned meat and sausages,” he noted.

The NCRA also tests weighing devices that are used in food-processing establishments.

“We verify the accuracy of scales, especially when it comes to the weighing of ingredients, such as preservatives… too much or too little preservatives can lead to unsafe food,” he said.

Mr. Clarke encouraged members of the public to utilise the available avenues to contact the NCRA.

“We will continue to play our role to ensure that food is safe for the consuming public. We invite the public to partner with us, share your concerns by emailing us at ncra@org.jm or 876-618-1534 and visit our website (www.ncra.org.jm) to view registered establishments,” he added.