Government moves to extend validity of food handlers’ permits

The Government plans to extend the validity of food handlers’ permits from one to two years.

Cabinet has approved amendments to the Public Health Act, the Public Health (Food Handling) Regulations and the Public Health (Tourist Establishment) Regulations to give effect to the change.

Minister of Health and Wellness Dr Christopher Tufton made the announcement on Wednesday at a post-Cabinet press briefing.

Tufton said the change would significantly reduce the volume of applications processed by parish health departments and streamline the administrative workflow associated with the programme.

He said the adjustment is intended to improve efficiency and service delivery while strengthening the capacity of public health teams to focus on compliance and enforcement.

“The objective is not simply to reduce the frequency with which food handlers interact with the system, but to modernise the system itself. By reducing the administrative burden associated with annual renewals, our public health teams will have greater capacity to focus on proactive monitoring, inspection and enforcement,” said Tufton.

It was indicated that the modernised programme will support a shift from a predominantly manual, administrative process to a more proactive compliance-monitoring model, enabling public health inspectors to devote more time to inspections, risk identification and enforcement activities.

“It is to be noted that the move to a two-year renewal period does not mean a reduction in food safety oversight,” the Minister cautioned.

“Food establishments and food handlers will continue to be subject to public health requirements, inspections and enforcement measures, and public health departments will retain the authority to take appropriate action where breaches of food safety requirements are identified,” Tufton added.

The proposed amendments form part of the Government’s broader efforts to modernise public health systems, improve the ease of doing business and strengthen the delivery of services to citizens, while maintaining the safeguards necessary to protect public health.

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