“A
good package should provide a barrier against dirt and other contaminants, thus
keeping the product clean. It should protect food against physical and chemical
damage, for example, the harmful effects of air, light, insects, and rodents,
and it should help the customers to identify the food, instruct them how to use
it correctly as well as inform them when it was manufactured and when it
expires,”
Director of the
Standards Division at the BSJ Mrs. Julia Bonner on packaging standards for rice
and flour
So
you though only sugar was getting a makeover. The BSJ (Bureau of Standards
Jamaica) isn't done yet as they seek to standardize packaging for many common
Jamaican staples.
Now
they're after rice and flour as pointed out in the article “BSJ
Reviewing Packaging Standards For Flour And Rice”, published Monday June
18, 2018, The Jamaica Gleaner.
But
first, a look at the packaging of sugar, which is much improved and which I
must say is quite welcome. So how did the packaging of sugar get standardized?
Will it be the same for rice, flour and cornmeal?
Jamaican Retail of
Sugar - Standardized packaging enforced by the BSJ's NCRA
The
Jamaican Government had introduced new packaging standards for granulated and
brown sugar in July 2017. Since July 1, 2017, all sugar sold to the public has
to be:
1. Packaged
2. Sealed
3. Labelled
This
prevents retailers from distributing sugar in unlabelled polythene bags, a
tradition that many shopkeepers started and larger retailers and supermarkets
followed.
Now, the sugar must be bagged at approved plants and conform to labeling standards. The new rules require that packagers be registered with the National Compliance and Regulatory Authority, a unit of Bureau of Standards Jamaica.
So
far only six (6) companies have been approved so far to package sugar bound for
the retail market:
1. Caribbean
Depot for Jamaica Gold, Golden Grove, and Eve brands on behalf of their
respective owners
2. Cost
Club Limited for MegaMart
3. DK
Processors Jamaica Limited for the Diamond Krystal and Paradise brands
4. Hi-Lo
Food Stores for the Hi-Lo brand of brown sugar
5. Lloyds
Manufacturing Company Limited for the May's, Grace and Secrets brands
6. Palm
Rose Limited for Royal Rose
This
new packaging is the result of previous work by the BSJ in getting sugar
producers to comply with their new guidelines set back in July 2017 as reported
in the article “Pre-Packaged
Sugar must be Appropriately Labelled”, published June 23, 2017 By Alecia
Smith, The Jamaica Information Service.
Not
only must all packagers be registered with the NCRA, but as of the revised
mandatory standards for brown cane sugar, gazetted on December 30, 2016, which
outlined the requirements for labelling, packaging and safety of sugar,
possible fines and prison terms are possible.
The
Standards Act provides for a fine of $3 million and 12 months in prison for
non-compliance with the labelling and packaging standards for sugar sold in the
retail market.
The
new packaging, which is more secure than just weighing and placing the sugar
into plastic bags, also give information on the product as follows:
1. Product
name
2. Brand
name
3. Net
content
4. Name
and address of manufacturers
5. Name
and address of distributors
6. Name
and address of importers
7. Name
and address of vendors
8. Storage
conditions
9. Country
of origin
10. Lot
identification
11. Date
markings
12. Instructions
for use
This
information has greatly improved the traceability of the product. So how has
this affected the sugar producers? And when will these changes begin to affect
rice, flour and cornmeal? And are other products commonly eaten by Jamaicans
soon to have their packaging standardized?
BSJ and Standardized
packaging – Jamaicans love Packaged sugar
This
has, at least in my eyes, made sugar more attractive and safer, as I'd pointed
out in my blog
article entitled “Why
Ministry of Agriculture and BSJ Branded Sugar Packaging and Labelling protects
the Jamaican Consumer”
There
were some teething pains, mainly to do with producing the packaging, which was
expensive, while ensuring that the price of the product remained competitive as
noted in the article “Stand
Firm On Sugar Packaging And Labelling – Pandohie”, published Monday
September 25, 2017 by Mark Titus, The
Jamaica Gleaner
The
public agrees, as they just couldn't get enough of it as was evidence by the
shortage of packaged sugar in August 2017 as noted in the article “Demand
For Packaged Sugar Takes Marketers By Surprise - Three Weeks Needed To Cover
Shortfall”, published Wednesday August 23, 2017 by Avia Collinder, The Jamaica Gleaner
The
distributors of bulk sugar experience a 60% increase in demand for the packaged
0.5 kg of sugar in the new packaging. These main distributors of bulk sugar
were as follows:
1. JCPS
2. Seprod's
Golden Grove Limited
3. Pan
Caribbean Sugar Company Limited
JCPS
and Seprod are also suppliers of their own branded retail sugar, with JCPS's
retail sugar being packaged by Caribbean Depot Limited. JCPS represents the
following sugar factories
1. Monymusk
2. Appleton
3. Worthy
Park
JCPS
accounts for 55% of the Sugar cane crop and as such get 55% of the market for
local sales. At this point a diagram is in order to tie all this info together.
So will it be the same for rice, flour and cornmeal? What other products will possibly have to be properly packaged and labled?
BSJ is Standardizing
product packaging - Flour, Rice, Cornmeal and other product on their Radar
A
similar relationship between Manufacturers of Rice, Flour and Cornmeal,
Packaging companies and Brands would have to be developed to make the process
go smoothly.
Of
course, consumers will have to be encouraged to buy the packaged products
instead of those doled out in polythene plastic bags as emphasized by Director
of the Standards Division at the BSJ Mrs. Julia Bonner, quote: “Once the BSJ
develops the new standard requirements for these items, it will become mandated
through the operations of the National Compliance & Regulatory Authority
()”.
The
BSJ and the NCRA are deliberating on the technical standards that need to be
implemented to make Rice, Flour and Cornmeal packaged just as safely and
traceably as sugar. Consumers will be encouraged to only purchase properly
packaged and labled products.
So
look out for not only Rice, Flour and Cornmeal to get packaging on part with
sugar but also the following products:
1. Bulla
Cakes
2. Red
Herring
3. Bag
Juice
4. Salt
Mackerel
5. Red
Herring
6. Breadfruit
7. Cooked
Food
8. Fruits
and Vegetable sold by vendors
Hopefully
this will involve packaging that is not plastic. Ironically the use of plastic
need to be banned from packaging, being as it is creating a serious problem for
Jamaica as I’d pointed out in my blog article
entitled “How
a Ban on Styrofoam, Plastics needs Recycling Initiative to save the Jamaican
Environment”.
These
are just a few and the last bit with the vendors would require them to form a
manufacturing cooperative in order to brand and produce their own packaging.
But based on the popularity of packaged sugar, I suspect that Jamaican adoption
won't be much of a problem.
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