COMPETITIVENESS in food production will soon be more dependent on the reliability of safety, quality and acceptability of production procedures rather than on quantity and price.Minister within the Ministry of Public Health, Dr. Karen Cummings made the point yesterday as the Government Analyst Food and Drug Department (GA-FDD) and the Pan-American Health Organisation (PAHO) hosted a training workshop in food science and water surveillance. The workshop is being held at the Cara Lodge Hotel.
Participating in the five-day workshop are PAHO officials, city health inspectors, food and water experts, scientific inspectors, public health inspectors, municipal health inspectors and surveillance officers, among others.
Minister Cummings in her remarks said also that the workshop is geared towards the enhancement of the lives of Guyanese and the ministry was grateful for the support provided by PAHO.
She said the workshop will look at the technological development and aspects of developing new regulations in the disciplines of food science and elements of safe water surveillance systems.
“I recognise the extreme important role of public health officials in their maintenance and enforcement of high quality standards and regulations for the consumer goods in the form of foods, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and other products offered by businesses to Guyanese,” Minister Cummings said.
PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUES
“The safety and quality of the food we consume and the water we drink impact on the health and wellbeing of our people, these are therefore public health issues and concerns and efforts by stakeholders in enhancing food safety and quality is a public good.”
Noting that currently Guyana is the importer of processed foods from diverse locations globally, Dr. Cummings said it is expected that food inspectors be up-to-date on the advancing processing techniques and food technology while being informed about new regulations for both imported and exported food commodities.
“I am sure the experts retained for this workshop will do justice in this regard and will help our local public health officials with information on imported and export commodity requirements from labelling to processing, to certification, licencing, auditing of facilities and food consumption,” she said.
Underscoring that quality management is uncompromising, Dr. Cummings emphasised that training is an ongoing activity aimed at refining and refreshing knowledge and skills of those hardworking officers in an effort to have optimal functionality in discharging various duties.
“Today’s activities will further equip our officers with the requisite knowledge and skills to better administer critical investigation of the goods under their jurisdiction while maintaining the highest quality management standards,” Minister Cummings stressed.
Focusing on raising the bar of service provided to the public, she said that training sessions are important to keep the various departments in line with the changing dynamics of international quality management.
“With the onward march of technological innovations as well as increasing sophistication of bootleggers constantly refining the way they produce fake, illegal and harmful products, training can never be enough,” she posited
WATER SURVEILLANCE
Exploring the topic of water surveillance, Minister Cummings said public health protection of drinking water supplies should ensure each component of the system, starting from the sources, treatment and distribution functions without risk of failure.
Emphasising that the government is committed to providing a better life for all Guyanese, she said there is need for universal access to quality public health care across the entire sector.
As such, she added, there needs to be an effective water surveillance system. “Ensuring our water is safe and potable is dependent on the collective efforts of our laboratories, our surveillance unit and our inspectors. A good and effective water surveillance is a precursor for the availability of safe water in all regions. This is high on the government’s agenda since the pillars of a good public health system are inclusive of access to safe drinking water and a good nutritional status amongst other things…”
She said the government and the public health ministry is keen about taking steps and interventions to reduce the prevalence of acute gastric intestinal disease, especially among children, the elderly and the vulnerable, that can be attributed to unsafe drinking water, especially in rural and heavily populated areas.