Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture

Food safety

IICA strengthens SME’s through traceability training

Tiempo de lectura: 3 mins.

On August 30th and 31st, over 35 participants from eight different private sector business entities took part in a two-day work shop held at the George price Centre in Belmopan.  The training included an in-depth training on the principles and practice of traceability funded by the 10th European Development Fund “Support to the Forum of Caribbean States in the implementation of the commitments undertaken under the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA): Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures” being executed by IICA.

On August 30th and 31st, over 35 participants from eight different private sector business entities took part in a two-day work shop held at the George price Centre in Belmopan.  The training included an in-depth training on the principles and practice of traceability funded by the 10th European Development Fund “Support to the Forum of Caribbean States in the implementation of the commitments undertaken under the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA): Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures” being executed by IICA.

This event was a second phase of the project geared towards building the capacity of Public and Private Sector Professionals in the development of Traceability Systems of SME’s to support the implementation of SPS measures and contribute to increased trade opportunities in CARIFORUM countries. The first phase of the training included a regional workshop on the Principles and Practice of Traceability of key technical officers in the various countries.

For this IICA had engaged the Institute of Food Technologist’s Global Food Traceability Center (IFT-GFT). Key trainers from IFT-GFT were Tejas Bhatt (Team Leader) Director for the Global Food Traceability Center (GFTC) at the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT). He directs IFT’s science and policy initiatives related to food traceability;  Robert B. Gravani a Professor of Food Science at Cornell University; and Jaheon Koo Director of Food Safety Programs at the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT).

Key SME’s included Quality Poultry, Caribbean Chicken, Hot Mama’s (pepper sauce), and technical officers from the Belize Agriculture Health Authority (BAHA).

Share

Related news​

Asunción, Paraguay

September 16, 2025

Nidia González, who champions the empowerment of women farmers in Paraguay and strives to raise living standards in her community, has now been recognized as an IICA Leader of Rurality of the Americas 

Nidia is President of the Comité de Santo Domingo, a group that seeks to improve the income and standard of living of the entire community.

Tiempo de lectura: 3mins

Madrid, España

September 16, 2025

The IICA Director General, during a working visit to Spain, met with the Minister of Agriculture, Luis Planas; visited the Spanish Congress and was honored by Universidad de Córdoba

In his meeting with Planas, Otero reflected on the close collaboration with Spain and characterized the Institute’s technical cooperation as systemic, efficient and collaborative, providing benefits to more than ten million farmers and actively undertaking 358 projects to enhance food security and rural development.

Tiempo de lectura: 3mins

San José, Costa Rica

September 10, 2025

Erick Geovany Ac Tot, a cocoa entrepreneur who promotes high-quality cocoa and the preservation of ancestral trees in Guatemala, is named an IICA Leader of Rurality 

Erick Geovany Ac Tot—a prominent Guatemalan cocoa entrepreneur who has been assisting small farmer organizations, promoting high-quality cocoa production and preserving heirloom trees for years, in addition to being a cocoa taster—has been named a Leader of Rurality of the Americas by the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA). 

Tiempo de lectura: 3mins