Food safety and the need for strict enforcement

Dear Editor,
I read in the news about food safety and the stringent requirements the USFDA is imposing on the businesses. The regulatory body, the Government Analyst Food and Drug Department (GAFDD), seems to be faced with tremendous adversities to act expeditiously on issues.
The repackaging of bulk products should be done under its supervision, and stringent rules should be followed. We see repackaged flour, sugar, salt, milk etc being done in unlabelled plastic bags. These are products that cannot be washed before use, and the consumer, not considering food safety, looks at the small price difference in choosing the unlabelled products. Little do consumers realise, to use the British phrase, they are “being penny wise and pound foolish”.
My visits to the markets where this repackaging practice seems more prevalent have led me to discover that those markets abound with these products, though some supermarkets also practise this unhealthy habit, although properly packaged and labelled products are available.
Recently, I picked up a 5kg bag of flour being sold in the city. The label at the back stated “Repackaged and Distributed by (name and address supplied). It also stated the foreign manufacturer’s name and address. I looked at the 2 kg bag, which stated the country of origin as The Netherlands. Both packages have one-year duration between production and expiry.
The main questions that came to my mind were: Is the production date the date of repacking of the flour? If so, how would I know the actual date of production in Holland?
This brings me back to the importance of food safety, and the need for strict enforcement. Consumers could be falling sick from hidden causes, such as salmonella poisoning, without knowing it came from the repackaged food they eat.

Yours truly,
Akeem Noordwyk