By Denise Clarke, Staff ReporterWESTERN BUREAU:
A BREAKDOWN in food safety standards has resulted in substandard food products being sold to consumers.
Food safety experts say the system of enforcing the regulations governing the local food industry has deteriorated, leading to the presence of unsafe food products in the Jamaican marketplace.
Dr. Andre Gordon, managing director of Technological Solutions Limited, blames the lackadaisical approach to the enforcement of food safety regulations for the deterioration of standards locally. He also stated that some companies involved in the manufacturing or importation of food have sacrificed the quality of the product in a bid to cut costs.
"While many may disagree with me, I am of the opinion that there has been a decline in standards, particularly in enforcement of food safety standards and monitoring in Jamaica. In fact, I won't say that I'm of the opinion, I'm willing to provide the proof I work in the industry," Dr. Gordon told the 57th Annual Conference of the Jamaica Association of Public Health Inspectors (JAPHI) held recently.
DOCTORATE IN FOOD SCIENCE
However, when contacted by The Sunday Gleaner last week, he declined to give names, but said his comments were based on his many years of experience in the food industry.
Dr. Gordon, who has a doctorate in Food Science, has worked with major food manufacturing companies both locally and overseas to upgrade their quality assurance systems to meet international standards.
His remarks were backed up by the head of the Food Hygiene Bureau, Marva Hewitt-Heaven. She called for the drafting of new legislation with stiffer penalties to protect the food industry.
"They need to enforce the law," she charged. "You look at every corner in Jamaica, everyone is setting up a food premises, because it's the easiest thing to do. They don't have to go through the rules."
An executive of JAPHI admitted to The Sunday Gleaner that there is a decline in food safety standards, but opposed the view that it was due to a lack of enforcement. JAPHI Secretary and Veterinary Public Health Officer for St. Catherine, Don Lewis, said while the standards have fallen, it has more to do with problems in the society than with the lack of enforcement. Where the poor standards exist, he pointed out, is with the informal food traders, who do not readily comply with the regulations.
"Minimum standards are what we aim for especially in the echelons of the trade. There is a specific document which speaks to, for example, 10 items that you are supposed to fulfil, and maybe depending on the establishment four or five of these items would be called critical areas. So, if you have complied with these critical areas, you have met the minimum standards," Mr. Lewis explained.
PROBLEM OF ENFORCEMENT
He added that the problem of enforcement did not rest with the manufacturing sector, but rather with the informal food traders, who set up shop without meeting the required standards.
"If you look around on the street you will find that the man who is vending outside might not be where he should be and you try to work with him. But with the aggressiveness of the society you can't just shut a guy down because he might not be where he should be. You try to educate and work with him at his level to get him where he should be. If you take a little handcart man to court, and the fine is $50,000 where is he going to get it from to pay?" he asked.
However, both Dr. Gordon and Mrs. Hewitt-Heaven maintain that stricter enforcement practices are badly needed to bring local food safety standards up to scratch. Regarding imported foods, Dr. Gordon also questioned the standards used to monitor their entry into the country, and called for stricter regulations to ensure the safety of imported foods. He insisted that the rigorous process of testing imports employed by other countries to which Jamaica exports should be adopted locally to ensure the safety and the quality of the food being imported.
