Vendors benefit from food safety requirements training

The Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) in collaboration with Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) hosted a two-day Food Safety Prerequisites Training last week in Georgetown.

The training was facilitated by Maya Brandon and Hema Boolannauth, both Technical Officers at the GNBS, and engaged 27 participants.

Among the participants were 21 vendors who previously participated in Taste of Guyana events hosted by the GTA. These participants benefited from training aimed at strengthening their understanding of food safety requirements and practices relevant to food preparation, handling, hygiene, and service within the tourism and hospitality sector.

The training forms part of the GTA’s ongoing capacity-building efforts to strengthen standards across the tourism sector and support tourism businesses in delivering safe and quality experiences to visitors.

Just a few days ago, the Ministry of Agriculture met with tourism industry stakeholders to discuss ways to establish stronger direct market linkages between local farmers and the hospitality sector, to create greater opportunities for locally produced fruits and vegetables to reach hotels, restaurants, and other establishments.

The initiative forms part of the ministry’s broader efforts to expand market opportunities for farmers, strengthen local food supply chains, and increase the use of locally produced food within Guyana’s growing hospitality sector.

However, stakeholders highlighted that food safety, quality, and traceability are among the key issues that must be addressed.

President Dr Irfaan Ali recently underscored the need for stronger surveillance, monitoring, and testing systems within Guyana’s food safety framework as the Government moves to enhance oversight of food products available in supermarkets and markets nationwide.

The Head of State made the remarks during a meeting with the leadership and staff of the Government Analyst-Food and Drug Department (GA-FDD), alongside Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony and Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha. According to the President, the strengthened systems are intended to ensure that all food products meet required standards for quality, safety, labelling, product description and nutritional content.

Following the engagement, Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony outlined several areas in which the Government is seeking to improve the country’s food safety architecture, including laboratory capacity, staffing, and inter-Ministerial coordination.

Dr Anthony said the Health and Agriculture Ministries will be working together to strengthen oversight mechanisms across the sector. He further stated that improvements are needed in laboratory systems to expand the range and volume of food testing being conducted. He also pointed to ongoing legislative and institutional changes that are reshaping responsibility for food safety regulation between ministries.