SRC to Stage Food Product Standardisation Workshop

Local food entrepreneurs looking to ensure consistency in the quality of their products are being encouraged to attend the virtual food product standardisation workshop being hosted by the Scientific Research Council on January 31.

“The workshop caters to everyone, and at the end of it [participants] will have the necessary skills that they need to standardise a product,” Executive Director of the Council, Dr. Charah Watson, told JIS News in a recent interview.

Interested persons are encouraged to contact the SRC by email at info@src-jamaica.org for details on how they can participate.

The session will explore good manufacturing practices, basic calculations involved in the standardisation process to achieve consistency in quality and the use of additives in their formulations.

Attendees will also be taught the difference between a recipe and a product formulation and the importance of standardisation in preparation for product commercialisation.

Dr. Watson noted that the SRC intends to upskill ordinary Jamaicans, while ensuring that entrepreneurs release safe products into their respective markets.

She is encouraging individuals to utilise the Council’s resources to strengthen their business ventures.

“One of the beautiful things about our pilot plant here at the SRC is that we are also monitored, audited and certified by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). So, if your products are produced in our pilot plant, there is the ability for you to access the US market using our FDA certificate,” she said.

Another workshop on jam and jelly production is set for the end of February.