Food manufacturers from several Caricom countries recently gathered at the Trinidad Hilton and Conference Centre for two days of food safety training to help them access major export markets.
The sub-regional workshop on Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) Plan Development and Implementation was attended by private sector participants from Guyana, Haiti, Suriname and T&T.
Course co-ordinator, microbiologist Dr Melinda Hayman, said participants gained an understanding of how to implement a HACCP plan, which is internationally accepted as the best means of ensuring food safety.
Gregg Rawlins, IICA representative in T&T, said the low level of compliance with food safety regulations and other SPS standards presents a challenge for Cariforum exporters of agri-food products.
"All countries must comply with SPS measures in order to successfully export their products to international markets.
"Therefore, companies involved in the manufacturing, processing or handling of food products should adopt this system to minimise or eliminate food safety hazards in their product." Rawlins urged participants to use the training to strengthen their food safety systems.
"This is one sure way of meeting food safety standards in your own country which will then pave the way for exporting to regional and international markets," he said.
Richard Trotman, managing director of Trinidad Chocolate Factory Limited which produces a range of fine cocoa and chocolate products, said his company aspires to the highest standards and has already engaged a HACCP consultant.
"People are trusting us that what they put in their mouths is safe. So we want our product to be enjoyed and to be safe, for the local public as well as international consumers," he said.
CEO of the T&T Manufacturers' Association (TTMA) Dr Ramesh Ramdeen noted the coss of implementing systems such as HACCP, but predicted that they could be recouped by increased market share.He said food safety issues could occur anywhere along the supply chain.
"You want to ensure that you do everything possible so when that product leaves your factory gate, it's optimal," said Ramdeen, noting that product recalls are expensive and damaging.
The HACCP system originated in the aerospace industry in the 1960s when NASA was conducting research on minimising pathogens and biological toxins in space foods.
Putting a good HACCP plan in place doesn't mean abandoning quality assurance protocols that a company might already have in place, but often requires a revision of the procedures and their appropriate integration into a HACCP plan.