NCRA Hosts Stakeholder Engagement Session Nov. 10

The public is invited to participate in a stakeholder engagement session to be hosted by the National Compliance and Regulatory Authority (NCRA), on Wednesday, November 10, beginning at 10:00 a.m.

The session, dubbed ‘Stating the Facts: The Regulator’s Table’, will be hosted via Zoom and streamed live on the NCRA Facebook page.

Chief Executive Officer, NCRA, Dr. Lorice Edwards Brown, told JIS News that the session seeks to inform and educate the public and other stakeholders about the significant role and responsibilities of the NCRA, and to communicate critical information regarding various subject matters.

“The event is going to be staged in a way where it becomes real to every Jamaican. We may be going about our business every day and don’t even realise what it is that this regulatory body does or what it is that you should be asking of us. And so, if you think of going to a supermarket and you buy an item of food, how many persons know that the weight of the package that is there, that it’s verified [and] checked by the NCRA,” said Dr. Edwards Brown.

She further noted that labels are also checked by the NCRA.

Dr. Edwards Brown emphasised the importance of the session, especially for consumers and persons operating a business.

“If you’re thinking of something that involves food processing, something that involves importing products for which there is a standard… then this programme is for you. If you buy hand sanitisers,  do you know the hand sanitiser that you’re using [or] if it has been checked,” she added.

Dr. Edwards Brown indicated that those are some of the issues that will be discussed during the event.

“We want to make sure that our people understand what it is that the NCRA is about and what you should expect from us and how you can reach out to us to make sure that the products that you’re buying… are wholesome, safe, delivering the right quantity and the right weight for you,” she said.

The NCRA is an agency of the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce. It is responsible for inspecting and monitoring food-processing establishments, inspecting commodities at the ports of entry and in the domestic market, and ensuring that the scales and measuring devices used in trade are accurate.

Source: https://jis.gov.jm/ncra-hosts-stakeholder-engagement-session-nov-10/