Business View Caribbean | April 2021

42 BUSINESS VIEW CARIBBEAN APRIL 2021 This includes training of personnel, food safety audits, and development and implementation of internationally recognized food safety management systems. The Biotechnology Unit assists enterprises in product development and improvement, process development and optimization, technology assessment, packaging, and labeling to ensure conformance with regulations and other support intended to improve the efficiency of their system while ensuring that safe products are provided to consumers. Through its internationally accredited/ certified laboratories, CARIRI provides both microbiological and chemical analyses of food and beverage products. This allows producers to ensure compliance with regulations such as those related to use of preservatives and labeling of products. The analyses also facilitates the printing of nutritional facts on labels, which, while it is not a legal requirement at this time, is extremely useful for consumers. Persons with ideas, or start-up companies, need to be supported if they are to successfully enter and grow in this sector. CARIRI welcomes persons with innovative ideas in the sector. Through the Idea Advisor Services, they can work with such persons, or enterprises, to take these ideas through the journey to commercialization. The Food and Beverage sector is a sleeping giant that needs to be catalyzed to realize its full potential. An enabling environment that includes technical support is essential to this catalyses. It requires a collaborative effort of the stakeholders in the ecosystem. CARIRI has a key role to play in this process.