A vigilant approach will be adopted to ensure that imported food meet the required health and safety standards, agriculture minister, Dr Christopher Tufton, said during a tour of Jamaica Customs facilities on Tuesday.

Tufton said the ministry and Jamaica Customs would be working closely to protect consumers from unhealthy imported produce.

"We will double our efforts to ensure that safety of consumers are maintained, that no items with pesticide infestation are within the marketplace," he declared.

Below standard

During the tour, Tufton viewed hundreds of pounds of ground provisions, fruits and vegetables which were shipped to Jamaica.

Some of the items were deemed to have been spoilt. Some ground provisions were also regarded as being below the country's grade standard for imported items.

Sheila Harvey, chief plant quarantine officer at the agriculture ministry, after viewing a box of leeks out of Florida, United States, said the seasoning was spoilt.

"This must be rejected," she instructed.

Evasion of duties

Meanwhile Tufton said the apparent evasion of custom duties by some importers would be addressed.

"There are huge discrepancies between what is found in the hotel sector and what customs allows to come in. The figures don't add up," he said.

"It suggests that foods are coming into the country illegally or that there may be unofficial points of entry," he said.

Fair trade for farmers

Danville Walker, commissioner of customs, said the agency was willing to work with the ministry to ensure fair trade for farmers.

"We cannot become a dumping ground for goods that could not be sold in the US," said Walker.

The tour included visits to Kingston Wharves, APM ter-minals, the One-Stop-Shop facility, Precision Cold Storage, and Harbour Cold Storage.