Ready packs to help in emergencies

The Barbados Manufacturers’ Association (BMA) has developed a Ration Pack Initiative to ensure the local sector remains functional and well positioned to respond to the needs of Barbados in a disaster.

BMA’s Executive Director Shardae Boyce said the ration packs are prepackaged foods used in emergencies including natural disasters, or in times of inconvenience. They will be made available to the public and military and emergency personnel.

“Now there are a number of deliverables that the Barbados Manufacturers’ Association expects to achieve from this initiative. We want to find a way to use gluts in the agricultural sector. Many times, we hear of farmers who have excessive amounts of vegetables at various times of the year. The Ration Pack Initiative provides the opportunity to integrate these products into the manufacturing process in a sustainable manner. This is sustainable manufacturing because it lessens wastage,” Boyce said.

The Executive Director explained that the initiative is in the first phase of execution which involves the inclusion of development agencies to ensure that the rations are fit for purpose.

She said the second phase will focus on the manufacture of prototypes, while the third phase will focus on capacity building. The final phase will focus on export development.

“I am sure that this initiative will also be welcomed by our military and emergency personnel who are often left out of the entire care response plan. We will have the option of accessing ration packs to satisfy nutritional requirements. These packs will also capture Caribbean flavours that are not traditionally available in ration packs, as we utilise Caribbean fruits, vegetables, meats, poultry, fish, and local seasonings.”

Boyce stressed the initiative was important because many persons become displaced during a natural disaster as was evident during last year’s Freak Storm and Hurricane Elsa, and are unable to prepare their own meals.

“Food security in the event of a national disaster is very important. Ration packs help persons to respond quickly during national disasters. They are easy to deploy and consume. They are ready to eat, which means they are easy to access, require little or no preparation and the packaging makes them easy and light to travel with. These are often referred to as tiny miracles of engineering,” she said. (AH)