LALOR
PROFESSOR GERALD Lalor, director of the International Centre for Environmental and Nuclear Sciences (ICENS), has been requested to conduct a study to identify the factors which have led to the intolerable levels of the toxin, hypoglycin, in ackee for the export market.
This was announced Wednesday by Minister of Commerce, Science and Technology, Phillip Paulwell.
The minister pointed out that the study, which would be completed in two months, would involve several stakeholders in the industry.
This study comes against the background of the United States not allowing several cases of processed ackee into that country in December, due to the unacceptably high level of hypoglycin found in the product, and concerns expressed by the Jamaica Agro Processors Association that batch-by-batch testing by the Bureau of Standards Jamaica (BSJ) was taking too long, causing the ackee processors to lose money.
BIG LOSSES
According to ackee processors, their losses amount to more than $100 million due to the length of the testing process. Denise Perkins, president of the Jamaica Agro Processors Association, said that the seven-day turnaround processing time promised by the BSJ was not being observed. She said that testing was taking up to 30 days.
Mr. Paulwell said that initial investigations indicated that some exporters were not adhering to prescribed regulations, noting that some processors were purchasing ackees, "where the process for ripening has not been adhered to".
