Taiwan Trains SLMB Staff
14 July 2020
The St Lucia Marketing Board (SLMB) remains committed to supplying its consumers with fresh quality produce and together with the Taiwan Technical Mission in St. Lucia, has agreed to furnish the staff of the SLMB with training that will assist them in becoming HACCP certified. Training will commence on July 20 and run untuil August 24, at The Inland Reception and Distribution Center (IRDC) in Odsan.
This certification is the first part of the process to enable staff members to become HACCP compliant locally and internationally. A total of twenty staff members will be trained by a highly qualified and experienced Food and Safety consultant Mr. Thomas Edmund.
The Taiwanese Mission continues its mandate to enhance the efficiency of production-distribution supply chains in the fruit and vegetable sector. With the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Physical Planning, Natural Resources and Co-operatives it has been collaborating to execute the Enhancement of the efficiency of production-distribution supply chains in the fruit and vegetable sector since 2019; more commonly known as the Seven Crop Project.
The newly refurbished Packhouse in the IRDC in Odsan was retrofitted by Taiwan Mission under that project. It is supervised under both Taiwan Technical Mission in St. Lucia and Ministry of Agriculture of St. Lucia.
The packhouse will be operated by SLMB and serve as a hub where harvested produce will be consolidated and prepared for transport and distribution to markets (Retail Store / Hotels/ Restaurants) in St. Lucia. The goal of this refurbishment is to assist the Packhouse in becoming the first of its kind and the first facility to become HACCP certificated packhouse in Saint Lucia.
This certification will now enable workers in the facility to supply local consumers with food that meets the highest standards of food quality nationally and internationally. Hotels and other local purchasers of bulk items can feel much safer in purchasing high quality goods from the Marketing Board, knowing that the highest standards of sanitation are being met and controlled.
HACCP certification is an international standard that defines the requirements for effective control contamination and food safety.
The training that will be conducted will be divided into classroom and practical facility experiences. The classroom discussions will cover the Origin and Benefits of well- developed HACCP Plans as well as mandatory Pre-requisite learning. At the end of the training team members will gain the knowledge and the hands-on experience of establishing, implementing, and maintaining a successful HACCP plan.
At end of training the Food Safety Specialist along with the Food and Agriculture Consultant will work with staff members through as many stages of operation as time allows to begin the development of an internal HACCP Plan therefore giving the newly trained HACCP team the knowledge and confidence to continue the process of completing a successful HACCP Plan on their own.
With this certification process completed, the packhouse will be used as a central hub where farmers, agro-processors and exporters can grade, sort and package their produce to meet market requirements for both the local and export markets.
