The St Lucia Marketing Board remains committed to supplying its consumers with fresh quality produce and together with the Taiwan Technical Mission in St Lucia and has agreed to furnish the staff of the Marketing Board with training that will assist them in becoming HACCP certified. Training will commence on July 20 and is expected to continue until August 24, 2020 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. HACCP certification is an international standard that defines the requirements for effective control of food safety. A total of 20 staff members will be trained by experienced food and safety consultant Thomas Edmund.
The Taiwan Technical Mission in Saint Lucia and the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Physical Planning, Natural Resources and Co-operatives have been collaborating to execute the Enhancement of the efficiency of production-distribution supply chains in the fruit and vegetable sector project since 2019; more commonly known as the Seven Crop Project.
The newly refurbished Pack House in the IRDC in Odsan was retrofitted by Taiwan Technical Mission under The Enhancement of the Efficiency of Production-Distribution Supply Chains in the Fruit and Vegetable Sector Project in St Lucia. It is supervised under both the Taiwan Technical Mission in St Lucia and the Ministry of Agriculture of St Lucia. The Pack House will operate through the St Lucia Marketing Board (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. This hub will be the first facility to become HACCP certificated in St Lucia. This certification will 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.