Who We Are
Welcome
The Caribbean Food Safety Information Portal is an electronic platform which serves as a repository of up-to-date and easily accessible resources on food safety for micro and small agro-processors in the Region.
The information presented covers the basics of food safety, the food supply chain, national food
safety regulatory frameworks, food safety testing, COVID-19 and trade related information. This information system will give users access to the websites of over 216 resources (to be updated as necessary) and includes a mixture of guidance documents, codes of practice, whitepapers, e-learning and training courses, recorded webinars and videos, podcasts, national and regional laboratories for food safety testing, food safety regulations, and national and regional technical agencies involved in food safety.
This initiative is a Technical Cooperation Action of the Agricultural Health, Safety and Food Quality Programme (AHFS) of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA). Specifically the Action which is titled – Enhancing food safety capacity of Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs)
through the use of information and communication technology in selected Caribbean Countries aims to support MSEs to enhance the implementation of food safety standards and best practices that are needed to improve operation efficiency and achieve market competitiveness locally and regionally.
About IICA
Who We Are...
The Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) is the specialized agency for agriculture of the Inter-American System that supports the efforts of Member States to achieve agricultural development and rural well-being.
The Institute provides cooperation services through close and permanent work with its 34 Member States, addressing their needs in a timely manner. Without a doubt, IICA’s most valuable asset is the close relationship it maintains with the beneficiaries of its work. We have broad experience in areas such as technology and innovation for agriculture, agricultural health, food safety and quality,
international agricultural trade, family farming, rural development, natural resource management and the bioeconomy.
Our Mission...
Our mission is to encourage, promote and support Member States in their efforts to achieve agricultural development and rural well-being through international technical cooperation of excellence.
Our Vision...
Our vision is to be a modern and efficient institution supported by a platform of human resources
and processes that are capable of mobilizing the knowledge available in the region and around the world, with the aim of achieving a competitive, inclusive and sustainable agriculture sector that takes advantage of opportunities to contribute to economic growth and development as well as to foster greater rural well-being and sustainable management of its natural capital.
Our Work...
Our roadmap is based on five hemispheric programmes, which lend uniqueness to IICA’s vision;
channel the Institute’s programmatic actions toward the identification of cooperation actions through the design and implementation of projects; and provide technical advice and assistance to governments and other social and economic stakeholders involved in agricultural and rural life in the Americas.
The five hemispheric programmes are:
1. Bioeconomy and Production Development.
2. Territorial Development and Family Farming.
3. International Trade and Regional Integration.
4. Climate Change, Natural Resources and Management of Production Risks.
5. Agricultural Health, Safety and Food Quality.
LINK To IICA WEBSITE : https://www.iica.int/en
Agricultural Health, Food Safety and Food Quality Programme
IICA’s work on AHFS issues is geared at promoting a productive, competitive, and sustainable agricultural sector that provides safe food to local, regional and global markets through the development, improvement and application of agricultural health and food safety policies, and this programme will contribute to the 2018-2022 MTP’s four strategic objectives.
The Programme focuses on promoting a productive, competitive and sustainable agriculture sector that provides a safe supply of food through local, regional and global markets, by formulating, improving and applying policies based on AHFS. Its key areas of focus are the promotion of institutional strengthening of AHFS systems; the harmonization, updating and implementation of health, safety and quality standards; capacity development for the adoption of best practices; and the tackling of emerging issues and health, phytosanitary and food safety emergencies, with an emphasis on cross-border cases.
About This Technical Cooperation Action:
Caribbean Governments view the current global crisis as an opportunity to build resilience and enhance regional food security and therefore have set a 5-year target to reduce the food import bill by
25% by 2025. As a result of this goal, the Region is now placing greater emphasis on increasing production and intra-regional trade to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on the regional food supply chain.
A key element for the attainment of this goal is having access to the appropriate food safety information to guide the production of high-quality produce and products. The use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) provides a means of disseminating appropriate information to a broad range of stakeholders along the agri-food chain. As such having an e-repository of information which is easily accessible to stakeholders is important.