Health Ministry intensifies focus on food inspection

Aug 24, 2011 News

The Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) in collaboration with the Ministry of Health is working to improve the food inspection process and the competencies of food inspectors in Guyana, says Health Minister, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy.
He disclosed that a manual is being finalised, and when implemented, will serve as a guide for food inspectors as well as enable them to operate effectively whilst carrying out their mandate.
In Guyana, almost everywhere persons are selling food, either packaged or those prepared for immediate consumption. It is an enormous task for the limited numbers of food inspectors to go across the country executing their duties, the minister noted.
He stressed that in Guyana the shortage of food inspectors is a big problem. He explained that it (shortage) is not because of the unavailability of sufficient trained personnel, but rather for financial reasons.
This situation, he said, occurs in most developing countries.
He noted that the Ministry has food inspectors of various kinds; for example, there is a veterinary unit that examines places that produce meat and fish. These are day to day duties of the inspectors. Then there are the general food inspectors located at the Food and Drugs Analyst Department.
Many persons have expressed concern that food inspectors are not executing their duty of inspecting items which are being sold for public consumption by food handlers regularly.
In response, Dr. Ramsammy stated that the food handlers are not the responsibility of the food inspectors, but they (food inspectors) must check to ensure that the food handlers possess the requisite certificate, which has a lifespan of one year.
According to a retired cook, the Food Handler’s Certificate does not necessarily mean that the food is being prepared in sanitary conditions and is consumable. It was revealed that to obtain the certificate, a series of medical check-ups are carried out including testing for venereal diseases, and a stool examination for worms.
And it was emphasised that this does not guarantee that the person preparing the meals would not contract any disease during that time frame.
Minister Ramsammy explained that determining the regularity of how often food handlers should be tested may be problematic, as it would be inconvenient for them to line up at health centres and hospitals weekly for check-ups. In addition, it would put a strain on the health sector.
The retired cook said annother concern expressed by consumers is the poor quality of food being prepared by handlers. For instance, they opined that many items such as cheese rolls used to be of better quality years ago but today, instead of having a “cheesy cheese roll” it “tastes more like flour and oil”. Also, a key ingredient for pine tart is the pine filling but many of the food handlers use jam as a substitute.
It was pointed out that owing to the expense related to preparing food, some handlers look for the cheapest way out, which consequently sees substandard products being presented for consumpion.
According to a source, once the food is not expired, does not contain poisonous substances, and is not stored in unhygienic conditions, then the ingredients utilised do not concern the Ministry.
Dr. Ramsammy noted that emphasis is placed on the quality of foods that are imported and exported. Together with the Ministry of Agriculture, manufacturers, importers and exporters, the Health Ministry ensures that the food being supplied is safe, he stated.
The minister added that Government is working with the Food and Agriculture Organization to develop better food safety legislation. (Keeran Singh)

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Health Ministry intensifies focus on food inspection

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