Whether you’re bottling a beverage or packaging a snack, your product needs more than great taste. It must meet a range of industry standards, from nutritional content to microbiological safety, to earn consumer trust and qualify for market and export. The Bureau of Standards Jamaica (BSJ) is the national authority on standards and quality. The BSJ conducts microbiological testing, label assessment, and facility inspection.
The Jamaica Business Development Corporation (JBDC) acts as that bridge between the client and BSJ providing handholding support ‘From Concept to Market’ to ensure quality first.
How?
As an agro-processor, you are expected to use Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) and Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) in your production. Both the GAP and GMP guides quality assurance in the manufacturing process, resulting in safe and healthy food and non-food agricultural products, while taking into account economic, social and environmental sustainability. These practices provide assurance not just locally, but to international markets that the products being imported are safe for consumption.
JS 317 Production of Processed Food Utilising the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point System (HACCP) is just one of the standards used by the BSJ that governs food production.
The ISO 9001:2015 speaks to Quality Management Systems (QMS) and their requirements. This standard is applicable to any product or service. At the foundation of this standard is the plan, do, check, act cycle. This cycle promotes continuous improvement, helps manage surplus inventory, and ensures that solutions are adequately tested before full implementation.
When a client comes in to JBDC, the clients are prepared for market ensuring that products are market-ready, following all standards by the BSJ.
Formulation & Food Safety
Colin Porter, Manager of the Technical Services Unit at the JBDC advises food processors to “Make sure your formulation is done properly… to ensure that the taste and other characteristics of the food product are at acceptable levels or meet industry standards.”
Getting your formulation right is only the beginning. The JBDC guides clients through key areas:
- Nutritional Balance: Products must meet the expectations of the intended market. If you’re marketing a healthy snack, high sugar or sodium content just won’t cut it.
- Contamination Testing: The JBDC will help you prepare for microbiological testing at the Bureau of Standards Jamaica (BSJ) to ensure your product is free of bacteria or foreign objects. Yes, even that rare but horrifying “bug in the bottle” scenario is covered.
He continues, “The microbiological analysis ensures the product is safe for consumption… you’ve heard of cases where people buy a beverage and find dead insects or a piece of broken glass.”
Packaging Matters
Packaging isn’t just about branding; it covers things like shelf life and product integrity.
“We sometimes think of packaging as a secondary thought, but it ought to be primary… what type of container are you putting your product in? Can it protect the product and ensure the shelf life you anticipate?” Porter emphasises.
JBDC helps entrepreneurs choose the right materials and works with graphic designers to get the label layout just right while adhering to BSJ’s labelling standards.
BSJ’s ‘JAMAICAN-MADE MARK’ PROGRAMME
Local manufacturers stand to gain by having their products certified with the ‘Jamaica Made’ mark by BSJ.
The national certification mark provides an avenue for the “re-establishment of consumer confidence, locally and internationally” in the authenticity and quality of Jamaican products, and creates a significant competitive advantage for these products, both locally and overseas.
The manufacturers…will benefit from the improved brand recognition and improved market advantage, both locally and internationally, and the Customs Department will spend less time inspecting products/goods to verify authenticity and compliance.
Consumers will also benefit as they will be better able to make informed choices on products that are compliant with and conform to technical regulations and standards, and are authentically Jamaican.
For traders of certified goods, the mark will clearly demonstrate to them, the quality of local products, and the agencies that conduct quality checks.
In the final analysis, having the Jamaica Made mark on your packaging provides an avenue for maximising the economic benefits to our local (compliant) manufacturers and, ultimately, the country.
The national certification designation is a voluntary conformity assessment programme available to all manufacturers of authentic Jamaican products. Its identifiable mark of quality indicates that products have the guaranteed stamp of quality, and are certified ‘Jamaican’.
It was developed in consultation with a number of key stakeholders including the Jamaica Exporters Association (JEA), Jamaica Manufacturers’ Association (JMA), Jamaica Chamber of Commerce (JCC), Jamaica Agro Processors Association (JAPA), Jamaica Intellectual Property Office (JIPO), Jamaica Business Development Corporation (JBDC); and the National Consumers League (NCL).
BSJ Setting the Standard
The incubator is supported by a quality control laboratory. Clients are supported by the Technical Services team to ensure that proper quality management is practiced in the space.
By the time your product gets to the BSJ, all quality boxes are checked and ready for the BSJ’s certification.
This certification signifies that the product has undergone testing and certification by the BSJ, assuring consumers of its quality and reliability. The BSJ mark can enhance the competitiveness of Jamaican businesses by demonstrating that their products meet international standards and quality requirements.
According to BSJ, standards are everywhere. Though we may not be actively aware of their importance and impact, standards are critical to a well-functioning society. Standards ensure our health and safety. They make our lives easier by making sure the products and services we use are reliable and consistent. They make trade possible by offering cross border predictability, which is crucial particularly to net importers, such as Jamaica. Standards make businesses more efficient while protecting our environment. Standards affect our lives in many far-reaching ways.
The BSJ’s standards are many. Entrepreneurs can apply to the BSJ for certification of their products against specific Jamaican standards. Following testing and assessment to ensure that the product complies with the relevant standards, if the product meets the requirements, the BSJ will certify it.
While this edition of Entrepreneur Weekly focuses on agro-processing, a standard can apply to goods, services or systems, they ensure safety, quality, consistency and are fundamental to trade.
Both BSJ and JBDC are agencies under the Ministry of Industry, Investment & Commerce (MIIC). Also note this special ingredient: When you work with JBDC, you also benefit from a 25% off the cost of services like product testing, label approval, and facility inspections. Partnerships like this makes it easier for entrepreneurs to move ‘From Concept to Market’. Start your journey at www.jbdc.net.
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