Strengthening regional food safety systems: a look back at the collaboration with CAHFSA.

In brief

• In the first half of 2026, COLEAD and the regional agency CAHFSA delivered a series of regional webinars on food safety in the Caribbean.
• 729 registrations in total, from more than 40 countries: clear demand for practical compliance and export-readiness support.
• Three sessions: a GHP/HACCP refresher, a traceability awareness session (US FDA requirements), and an antimicrobial resistance (AMR) awareness session.
• Leading audience: Ministries of Health and Agriculture, environmental health departments, regulatory authorities and the University of the West Indies.
• Over 90% of respondents rated the sessions relevant or very relevant.

A regional series, in partnership with CAHFSA

During the first half of 2026, COLEAD — drawing on several of its departments — and the Caribbean Agricultural Health and Food Safety Agency (CAHFSA) ran a series of regional food safety webinars. The initiative drew strong interest across the Caribbean and beyond: 729 registrations in total, from more than 40 countries, reflecting sustained demand for practical food safety and export-readiness support.

Three sessions, three priorities

The Good Hygiene Practices (GHP) and HACCP refresher, held on 17 March and 17 April 2026, drew 272 registrations from 43 countries, with strong interest from Trinidad and Tobago, Suriname, Grenada and Belize. The traceability awareness session, focused on evolving US market (FDA) requirements and held on 24 March 2026, recorded 317 registrations from 38 countries — led by Jamaica, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Saint Lucia and the British Virgin Islands. Finally, the session on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) as a food safety issue, on 21 April 2026, brought together 140 registrations from 32 countries.

Regulators and authorities at the centre

Across all sessions, the most represented organisations were Ministries of Health, environmental health departments and Ministries of Agriculture, alongside key regulatory and food safety authorities and the University of the West Indies. Feedback was overwhelmingly positive: more than 90% of respondents rated the sessions relevant or very relevant, praising the clarity of explanations, practical examples, interactive discussions and the focus on compliance and export requirements.

Strong, confirmed demand

The key themes — traceability, documentation and record keeping, hazard identification, and stronger food safety management across the chain — mirror participants’ expressed wish to go further on internal auditing, compliance systems and traceability. The series confirmed the need for accessible, practical capacity-building initiatives serving both public and private stakeholders. The partnership with CAHFSA is highly valued in reaching and engaging these actors across the region.

This activity is supported by the Fit For Market Plus (FFM+) programme, implemented by COLEAD within the Framework of Development Cooperation between the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) and the European Union. This publication receives financial support from the European Union and the OACPS. The content of this publication is the sole responsibility of COLEAD and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the European Union or the OACPS.