KINGSTON, Jamaica. Tuesday, June 10, 2025: Jamaicans will now have up to two years to renew their food handlers permits, in a move intended to enhance efficiency and support the food service workforce.
The announcement was made by Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, Minister of Health & Wellness, in his Sectoral Presentation to Parliament earlier today.
“There are far too many complaints about the excessive wait times for Food Handlers Permits. More than 300,000 Jamaicans have to apply and reapply each year, sometimes waiting up to six months to go through the process,” the Minister said.
“It is inefficient and supports non-compliance. We have to fix it,” he added.
It is against this background, the Minister noted, that working with the team from the Environmental Health Unit, the Ministry is transforming the National Food Handlers Training and Certification Programme.
“As part of those efforts, we will extend the term for a Food Handlers Permit renewal from one to two years and introduce convenient bill payment service options, effective January 1, 2026,” the Minister announced.
The regulatory adjustment from one to two years reflects a broader strategy to modernise administrative processes while preserving robust public health protections.
The new two-year renewal cycle will apply to all food handlers certified on or after the effective date, aligning with best practices in comparable jurisdictions and responding to feedback from both industry stakeholders and public health professionals.
Meanwhile, also to be implemented, Dr. Tufton said, is a bi-modal modular training format to reduce certification-processing time from three weeks to two weeks, as well as the introduction of new technology to facilitate faster and more efficient processing to eliminate delays and backlogs.
The overhaul is also to see the increase in the cadre of professionally trained food handlers to reduce the risk of outbreaks linked to improper food handling; as well as increasing application access points, reducing wait time and enhancing delivery process.