GNBS raising awareness on importance of implementing food standard

GINA, GUYANA, Thursday, March 23, 2017

The Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) held a symposium at the National Library today, aimed at sensitising local entrepreneurs on the importance of food safety standards.

The Bureau’s Executive Director, Candelle Walcott-Bostwick noted that the symposium was held to encourage local manufacturers to embrace the implementation of standards.

GNBS’s mission is to improve the quality of goods and services in Guyana, through standardisation.

During the interactive session, Walcott-Bostwick said that GNBS will now inspect the net content of products. Walcott-Bostwick said that the net content should be displayed in metric units, on pre-packaged items sold on the local markets. “If it is not in conformance with what are stated, necessary changes will have to be made.”

One of the new standards recently published was for salted fish and dried

salted fish (shark, tilapia, and mackerel). The director explained that the standard applies to salted fish and dried salted fish which have been fully saturated with salt or to salted fish which has been preserved by partial saturation to a salt content not less than 12 per cent by weight of the salted fish which may be offered for consumption without further processing.

The criteria for salted fish and dried fish are that; it will not cause food borne infections or toxicities when properly handled and prepared, does not contain salt residues in excess of established limit, is free of disease and obvious contamination and has been produced under hygienic control.

She also touched on requirements which consumers should expect when purchasing these items, which include expiration date, quality, and price.

Walcott-Bostwick is calling on all entrepreneurs to embrace the standards and to help reduce cost due to waste.

 

By: Zanneel Williams