Food safety has been an issue in the country and it continues to be.
From handling to preparation as well as storage of food, food safety is important to ensure food-borne illness is prevented.
The newly launched Fiji Food Safety Association hopes to iron out these issues to avoid potentially severe health hazards.
The Association’s Vice President Jagruti Chauhan says they will hold extensive consultations with industry and other stakeholders on the food safety framework.
They will also focus to engage with other businesses to meet and follow the required food safety guidelines.
“We will try and bring awareness, try to educate and convince people that food safety is important and then try and provide training on compliance, implementing HACEP and trying to bring about food safety. The training is not only for restaurants, it is from the farmers to the fork so we will train farmers; market vendors; market training and manufacturing small and medium enterprises who wants to export their products and their handling food so they need to be compliant.”
The Association consists if food manufacturers, retailers, caterers, environmental and health officers, consultants, research organizations, training bodies as well as students.
