BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, December 20, 2024 (SKNIS) – Minister of International Trade, the Right Honourable Dr. Denzil Douglas, said the St. Kitts and Nevis Bureau of Standards (SKNBS) is positioning itself to ensure that as the Federation transitions to a sustainable island state, it does so with the assurances of good quality and maintenance of public health.
In a passionate presentation on the 2025 Budget Debate in the National Assembly on December 20, 2024, Senior Minister Dr. Douglas said that the bureau is committed to raising national standards to ensure product quality, consumer safety and global competitiveness. This, according to the minister, will be achieved through international accreditation and enhanced testing capabilities.
“We will make sure we achieve accreditation for chemistry and microbiology testing, enhancing the monitoring of our food and water safety. We will make sure that the appropriate accreditation for metrology will be elevated so that we would have elevated testing with reliability and compliance with international standards,” said Dr. Douglas.
Senior Minister Douglas further noted that as part of the ministry’s mandate to enhance public health and food safety, the St. Kitts and Nevis Bureau of Standards, in 2025, will pursue the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) certification for seafood processing. The certification will be pursued in collaboration with the Department of Marine Resources.
The HACCP is a system which provides the framework for monitoring the total food system, from harvesting to consumption, to reducing the risk of foodborne illness. Minister Douglas said this will further ensure that local fisheries meet the necessary global safety benchmarks.
Additionally, the minister said the Bureau intends to monitor environmental health more frequently and comprehensively in the upcoming year. He added, “The Bureau has been tasked to expand air quality testing and other environmental monitoring initiatives contributing to public health and environmental sustainability.”
Importantly also, Senior Minister Douglas announced plans by the St. Kitts and Nevis Bureau of Standards to expand its services on the island of Nevis. To achieve this objective, the Bureau will establish a branch of its laboratory on Nevis in 2025, that will ultimately meet and maintain the same standards, quality assurance and consumer protection that exists at the main branch on St. Kitts.
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