The Hon. V. Alfred Gray, Minister of Agriculture and Marine Resources (at podium) opening a three-day workshop on food safety and quality standards at the Bahamas Agricultural and Industrial Corporation (BAIC) conference center Tuesday, February 16, 2016. Minister Gray thanked delegates also visiting from St. Lucia and Canada for attending. (BIS Photos/Patrick Hanna)
“A compendium of Bills that includes the Food Safety and Quality Bill which seeks to provide a more integrated system for the management and control of food facilities and products, received bi-partisan support in the House of Assembly. This says that the issues of food safety and quality are important to every citizen, resident or visitor to The Bahamas,” said the Hon. V. Alfred Gray, Minister of Agriculture and Marine Resources as he opened a three-day training workshop on food safety and quality standards at The Bahamas Agricultural and Industrial Corporation (BAIC) conference center on Tuesday.
In attendance were local delegates as well as those from St. Lucia and Canada.
Minister Gray said: The Inter-American Institute for Co-operation on Agriculture (IICA) has provided funding for The Bahamas to partner with the Government of Canada to learn more about management of veterinary medicine use, and harmonization with international standards for veterinary residues established by the Codex Alimentarius Commission (a world body to protect the health of consumers and uphold standards in international food trade).
Veterinary medicine residue in foods and impact on human health has been a topic of discussion. Minister Gray said “the objective of any government and the Government of The Bahamas is to respond to issues raised by its citizens in a fair and objective manner through information and dialogue. We are here today to learn from our Canadian counterparts the methods and systems which we can use to make our food supply safer where possible.”
Although there is widespread use of medicated feed, veterinary medicines can only be administered by veterinarians who are registered under the Veterinary Surgeons Act, he said. While medicines are regulated under the Pharmacy Act by the Pharmacy Council, such veterinary medicines and medicated feed will be regulated under the recently passed Animal Health and Production Bill.
Minister Gray noted delegates from St. Lucia were in attendance to build capacities and also share their experiences while learning of Canadian experiences. “This has proven to be a very efficient way to promote change and improvement with respect to matters for which Codex Alimentarius is responsible, such as Maximum Residue Limits (MRL’s) and the Risk Management Recommendation (RMR’s) for residue of veterinary drugs in foods.”
He added, the Bahamas Agriculture Health Food Safety Authority (BAHFSA), another of the recent bills passed, will develop a systematic approach which will promote the identification of emerging issues related to food safety, nutrition and fair practices in the food trade; implement effective and efficient work management systems and practices; and strive for a transparent consensus-based standard for quality food consumers can trust.
By Stirling Strachan - Bahamas Information Services
The Hon. V. Alfred Gray, Minister of Agriculture and Marine Resources (at podium) opening a three-day workshop on food safety and quality standards at the Bahamas Agricultural and Industrial Corporation (BAIC) conference center Tuesday, February 16, 2016. Minister Gray thanked delegates also visiting from St. Lucia and Canada for attending. (BIS Photos/Patrick Hanna)
