Tourism Linkages Network Hosting Islandwide Sensitisation Sessions
By: , February 10, 2023
Photo: Contributed
Director, Tourism Linkages Network, Carolyn McDonald Riley, addresses stakeholders attending a recent sensitisation session on the Agricultural Food Safety Manual. The session was held in St. Ann and included participants from St. Mary and Portland.The Full Story
The Tourism Linkages Network (TLN) has commenced a series of islandwide sensitisation sessions to heighten public awareness about the recently launched Agricultural Suppliers Food Safety Manual.
The sessions target farmers, agro-processors, manufacturers and other stakeholders who supply food to the tourism industry.
Persons in Manchester, St. Elizabeth and Clarendon are being invited to attend the upcoming forum on February 14 at the Golf View Hotel in Mandeville, starting at 10:00 a.m.
TLN Director, Carolyn McDonald Riley, told JIS News that the sessions will focus on areas highlighted in the Manual.
These include food safety hazard, good hygiene practices, cleaning and sanitising, worker hygiene, waste management and farm management. Author of the Manual , Dr. Aisha Bailey, will be the main presenter.
The publication was launched in November 2022 by Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett and Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Pearnel Charles Jr.
Mrs. McDonald Riley indicated that the Manual is designed “to serve as an information resource” for all stakeholders supplying food to the tourism sector.
“The idea is that our farmers who supply our industry (tourism) through the Agri-Linkages Exchange Platform (ALEX), will build capacity in the form of how you prepare the food that you plant,” she added.
Mrs. McDonald Riley said sensitisation sessions have already been held in Kingston, St. Ann and Montego Bay.
She further informed that the TLN is working with the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) and various parish groups to finalise details for other sessions scheduled for St. Catherine and St. Thomas.
“We encourage farmers, when you hear that we are going to be in your area, to come out, receive your manual and what it is we have to offer through our lecturers, and also to hear about the opportunities in tourism for our farmers,” Mrs. McDonald Riley urged.
She also advised that persons unable to attend the sessions may collect a copy of the Manual at the Tourism Enhancement Fund’s (TEF) office in Kingston or access it electronically at https://issuu.com/tourismlinkagesnetwork.
The Agricultural Suppliers Food Safety Manual was developed by the TEF in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Bureau of Standards Jamaica, RADA, the Jamaica Manufacturers and Exporters’ Association (JMEA), and the Ministry of Health and Wellness, along with other stakeholders.