Beware fly-by-night coconut water bottlers – BSJ
Published:Monday | January 28, 2019 | 12:00 AMJason Cross/Gleaner Writer
Nearly seven years after raising concerns about the quality of coconut water on the market, the Bureau of Standards Jamaica (BSJ) has still not got a handle on the growing number of unregistered bottlers of the product.
The standards watchdog placed a notice in yesterday’s edition of The Sunday Gleaner warning consumers to “purchase bottled coconut water from processing establishments which are registered with the Bureau of Standards Jamaica/National Compliance and Regulatory Authority”.
The BSJ also advised consumers to visit its website for a list of registered coconut water processors, or make contact with the entity at 876-632-4275.
Speaking with The Gleaner yesterday, BSJ Marketing and Public Relations Manager Garfield Dixon echoed the call for bottled coconut water to be bought only from establishments registered with the BSJ.
“Once you register with the BSJ/National Compliance and Regulatory Authority, you would have gone through a process. We would have checked your facilities according to certain standards. We then would be more assured the products have gone through rigorous testing.”
Dixon pointed out that the BSJ was working with coconut producers on client-servicing programme, “where we go into their locations and help them to interpret standards. We help them with a bit of hand-holding in order to ensure the products are an ultimate output. We must not only check their facilities because it is a whole process. Part of it is that you will need to have a food-safety system in place.”