New book on food safety techniques launched
ANEW publication on food safety and quality systems, launched last Thursday at the Knutsford Court Hotel in St Andrew, has been lauded by former Prime Minister P.J. Patterson as “a rich source of information that reveals the practical application of technology to solving problems of food safety and quality in the food industry”.
The publication, the second of a three-part series, entitled Food Safety and Quality Systems in Developing Countries, is the work of Jamaican food scientist, Dr André Gordon, who is managing director of Technological Solutions Limited.
Gordon pointed out that the publication is intended to introduce the global food industry to the fact that developing countries, and the Caribbean in particular, have the sophistication and capabilities to apply sound, world-class scientific principles and approaches to deliver globally competitive, superior products to global markets.
PLATFORM
He noted that the book is structured to present a platform through which Jamaican and Caribbean foods, including some of Jamaica’s iconic products, could be promoted globally and presented as excellent products of exceptional quality whose production is backed by sound science.
The application of science to solving problems, including market-access challenges, he said, was
no less sophisticated than the major brands such as Unilever, Kraft, General Foods, and Nestlé.
“The transformational value of this volume lies firstly in its timeliness,” Patterson commented.
“It comes at a juncture when we in Jamaica, like many other developing countries, face renewed challenges in improving the quality of our processed food within both the domestic and export markets.
We are called upon to increase the sophistication of our processes through the prudent application of outstanding research.”
The book offers case studies in the effective implementation of challenges in meeting food safety standards and quality requirements of markets in the United States, Canada, and the European Union.