THE Ministry of Agriculture, in collaboration with the Pan American Health Organisation/World Health Organisation (PAHO/WHO) and Health Canada started a three-day workshop yesterday. Being held at the Grand Coastal Inn hotel, Le Ressouvenir, East Coast Demerara, it is about strengthening the capacity of national regulatory authorities for food safety in the Caribbean.
Delivering the keynote address at the opening, Agriculture Minister Dr. Leslie Ramsammy highlighted the need to have the necessities in place, noting that, presently, neither the regulations nor the systems to implement them are fully there.
He emphasised that it is an imperative for the laws relating to food safety and the laboratories used for this purpose to be updated.
In addition, the minister pointed out that a human resource capability must be developed to deal with food and nutrition security in Guyana, as well as in the Caribbean.
He stated that, as long as the laws and regulations governing food safety are not as comprehensive and cohesive as they need to be, workshops of this nature are critical.
Ramsammy maintained that it is important to ensure more effective collaborating between the Ministries of Health and Agriculture, together with regional bodies, such as the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the Caribbean Agricultural Health and Food Safety Agency (CAHFSA) and the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA).

ECONOMIC SITUATION
He said food safety is also important because of the changing economic situation and trade, noting that the Caribbean region imports some US$4 billion in food on an annual basis while not only does Guyana and the Caribbean have the potential to, sufficiently, produce for their own consumption but to export as well.
Facilitators at the ongoing forum include experts from the Health Products and Food Branch of Health Canada and PAHO/WHO veterinary public health advisers.
Among those participating are representatives of the Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Trinidad and Tobago, St. Kitts and Nevis, Jamaica Health and Suriname Health and Agriculture Ministries.
The objective of the continuing discourse is to discuss essential elements of a robust national food safety system, present some risk analysis tools and analyse the current status and needs of existing procedures in the Caribbean.
One expected outcome will be the identification of countries with an interest in formulating projects aimed at modernising food safety processes.