BNSI standards for ‘coconut vending, tourism, green power’

From coconut vending and tourism to renewable energy, a raft of Barbadian industries are to get a set of standards, the nation’s standards agency said Wednesday.

Already labelling standards for coconut vendors are about halfway ready, said Haydn Rhynd, acting director of the Barbados National Standards Institution.

He was speaking during the second Barbados Coalition of Services Industries (BCSI) Fish Bowl conversation on Wednesday, under the theme, National Service Sector Development Strategy: Providing a Framework for Inclusive and Sustainable Development.

On renewable energy, Rhynd said: “On the backend of that, we have electric vehicles in need of charging stations so at the BNSI we are revising our national building code so that we can speak to charging stations to electric vehicle and the construction of these stations.”

“The labelling of food, that is a big one,” he added, pointing to the pending amendments to the labelling of packaged foods, which will require a front of package nutrition label indicating basic nutrition information.

Rhynd said: “There is coconut water in there, where we are developing a specification for packaged, natural coconut water. That is about halfway.”

He also singled out the tourism industry, for which he said “a full suite of standards” is being developed.

“I know that the service sector development strategy at this time isn’t necessarily focused on tourism as I understand it, but there is a suite of standards that we are working on in the tourism industry – for heritage tourism, accessible tourism for all, hotels, [and] medical tourism,” he said.

Rhynd did not give a timeline for any of the standards to be in place, but pointing out that the BNSI was engaging in a “consensus process” with all stakeholders, he said it was important that stakeholders come forward and share their concerns and suggestions towards the development of those standards.

“Again, the entire suite of services – whether you are a small business, into vending or you are a medium-sized business you can engage with the BNSI,” he said, adding “we guide the process and it benefits you”.

Last year, the BNSI introduced a first of its kind Safe Business Verification Certificate, as it sought to bring local businesses up to international health and safety standards and best practices in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Rhynd said that the standard was yielding results.

“It is really something that the service sector is gravitating towards. Already we are seeing tremendous success with the people’s confidence returning because they can start to see you have taken the measures to put certain things in place,” he said. (marlonmadden@barbadostoday.bb)