by Ken Quintanilla

Guam - It's been eight months since legislation was introduced to update Guam's nearly 30-year- old Food Code. Although several roundtables have been held to collect input from stakeholders on Bill 307, its not yet been determined if and when this new food code will ever be implemented.

Legislative Committee on Health chair Senator Dennis Rodriguez, Jr. says the nearly 800-page document isn't an easy read but a lot of work has been put into it, so it's important that all stakeholders not only have the opportunity to understand it but provide their input, as well. "I think the bottom line here is food safety and how it's handled from the time it's brought in our islands from the ports and then served to our people," he explained.

He says at the most recent roundtable held last week, the Guam Hotel and Restaurant Association supported the update but had concerns about the economic impact on the industry. "So my concern is it has the impact on the businesses such as the hotels and larger restaurants, but it's the smaller mom and pop restaurants and retail stores where my concern is because if this food code is going to require them to expend additional resources right away, I think that is something we seriously need to take a look at," he continued.

Department of Public Health director Jim Gillan likens the bill to other changes in policy such as child case regulations, which after years of work, weren't exactly what everyone wanted - but was better than nothing. He explained, "We really need to get more teeth in what we're doing just to assure people are getting safe food, and it's not just about that, but it's about facilities and other things. But the longer we go with it, the more watered down it gets and the product you get at the end is very rarely the one you started out with."

He does however understand that Senator Rodriguez is trying to reach a compromise with all who will be impacted. He adds should the bill pass, he is concerned about the number of staff and inspectors to implement the new rules and regulations. He hopes the bill will include provisions to hire additional staff or provide additional job descriptions and training. And although a Food Safety Task Force was the team that worked together to update the code years ago, not everyone is aware.

"The problem is that there hasn't been a spotlight on this so people attend this and do what they have to do, but I think the larger community, the stakeholders don't even know that this is on the table" he said.

He adds this measure has reached the furthest compared to past attempts. Another roundtable meanwhile is set for early June.