Caribbean to get food authenticity center

Movement is underway to establish a center for food authenticity testing in the Caribbean.

The Caribbean Agricultural Health and Food Safety Agency (CAHFSA) is leading development of a concept note and feasibility study for the center, in consultation with other countries and international partners.

This work is expected to be presented to the Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED) and integrated into regional food safety programs.

The CAHFSA recently participated in training on food authenticity testing hosted by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna, Austria.

Regional center creation
The two-week training included the FAO/IAEA Centre for Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture. The program brought together food safety experts and regulatory officials from across the Caribbean, with participation from 15 countries including Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Trinidad and Tobago.

It focused on using nuclear and isotopic techniques to detect food fraud and verify the origin, composition, and quality of products.

In meetings with IAEA officials and regional delegates, the CAHFSA proposed creating the Caribbean Regional Centre for Food Authenticity Testing. Countries endorsed the recommendation to establish the unit under the CAHFSA’s guidance.

The CAHFSA said the rationale for the center included the region’s growing reliance on food imports and the need for traceability in the absence of dedicated infrastructure to detect food fraud.

The center will serve as a reference hub for authenticity testing, support national regulatory laboratories with confirmatory analysis, and enable early detection of fraudulent products in trade.

IAEA on World Food Safety Day
Meanwhile, the Joint FAO/IAEA Centre of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture held a webinar this past week highlighting efforts related to food safety.

Speakers included Markus Lipp, senior food safety officer, at the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and Chrsitina Vlachou, head of the food safety and control laboratory at the Joint FAO/IAEA Centre. Other presentations covered IAEA-supported projects in China, Pakistan, and Namibia.

IAEA, through the Joint FAO/IAEA Centre, supports food safety and quality under the Atoms4Food initiative, which aims to use nuclear techniques to reduce food loss and waste, ensure food safety, and improve nutrition. One technique is food irradiation.

“Food irradiation is under-utilized, but we are working to raise its profile as the benefits it provides will serve consumers and producers and help meet many food safety issues,” said Carl Blackburn, a food irradiation expert at the Joint FAO/IAEA Centre.

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