Armed with 500,000 euros from the European Development Fund (EDF), the Caribbean Export Development Agency (CEDA) is encouraging Bahamian food exporters to apply for grants and training to help bring their operations up to international standards.
"The best approach is to be ahead of the curve," said Elliott Paige, the Manager of Trade and Export Development at CEDA.
"We're dependent on trade and our markets are small.  We also depend on the U.S. and the EU, and their concern for food-born illnesses is serious and understandable.  This gives us the opportunity to improve our standards."
Back in January 2011, U.S. President Barack Obama signed the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) proposed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Although the full ramifications and requirements have yet to be enforced, this push with CEDA is partly a reflection of that signing to ensure governments and the private sector are not left behind.
Food safety is a global problem, Paige said, and governments are trying different methods to deal with it.
Pamela Coke-Hamilton, the Executive Director of CEDA, believes regional enterprise cannot be "sidelined" by inertia or indecisiveness, and companies must be able to respond at the same rate as competitors.
"As an agency charged with building the export capacity of CARIFORUM companies, we must have a leading role in ensuring that whenever regional exports are threatened or compromised we respond and respond quickly," she said.
Paige felt the Act out of the U.S. was absolutely necessary.
"The Act in the U.S. increases standards related to food safety and makes them more stringent over the next 18 months," he told Guardian Business.
"Part of our role is to ensure the Caribbean meets international standards and market requirements and help companies grow and look at simple things, such as supply chain, management and food safety."
Saying The Bahamas has "pretty good standards" due to the importance of tourism and the service sector, the funds and training are meant to help companies of all different levels of need.
Some entities will need a few tweaks, he said, while others require more fundamental changes.
Food warnings, measures to prevent bacteria, certification, control points and meticulous documentation are all covered in the improved standards.
The 500,000 euros and Special Assistance Programme will consist of technical workshops to raise awareness and provide access to accurate information.  Individual companies can access up to 5,000 euros to pay costs associated with carrying our assessments and diagnostic tests, according to CEDA.
Meanwhile, qualified firms in further need of assistance can apply for up to an additional 30,000 euros under the Direct Assistance Grant Scheme Program.
A two month pilot project in Jamaica is expected to begin on Oct 26.
Paige hopes Bahamian companies and their counterparts through the Caribbean still step up and prepare for the future of food exports.
"Although the FSMA in the U.S. has not come into effect yet, we're in constant communication with the FDA, and as it evolves we're on top of it and making sure we inform our clients so they can modify their procedures well before this comes into force," he said.
"It's about being ahead of the game before it impacts trade."

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