GA-FDD seizes 90 bags of flour

…as entity clamps down on illegal repackaging

The Government Analyst Food and Drug Department (GA-FDD) has seized close to 90 bags of flour from several shops and supermarkets on the East Coast of Demerara and Georgetown.
Reports are the seizures were part of its ongoing campaign to clamp down on the repackaging of the staple under unhealthy conditions. During the campaign, the GA-FDD inspectors visited several retail entities in Georgetown and on the lower East Coast corridor, where the repackaging practice is said to be prevalent.
The Food and Drug Department was keen to note that this practice violates the country’s Food and Drug Act (Chapter 34:03) as well as Section (18) (1) of the Food and Drug Regulations and Part (6) (2) of the 1971 Food and Drugs Act.
As such, importers and distributors who persist in repackaging under insanitary conditions will leave the department “with no other alternative than to rescind their licenses/permits to repackage and/or import wheaten flour in 45kg bags,” the GA-FDD warned.
It was observed that these stores usually repackage the flour and offer it for sale in unlabelled plastic bags.
However, the GA-FDD advised the public to only purchase flour that is in properly-labelled bags to help protect their health and safety.
The agency also committed to conducting similar exercises across the country. “Similar exercises will be conducted nationwide by enforcers of the National Food and Safety Control Committee who will be authorised to carry out the implement action against wrongdoers in their respective regions,” the food and drug agency said.
In January this year, the Department had warned that Daflon 500mg tablets are being counterfeited and circulated in the local market.
While the original pills are sold in a white box with blue borders and contains sixty 500mg tablets that are further divided into four silver blister packs, each containing fifteen tablets, the counterfeited/fake product is sold in a white box with no border and contains sixty 500mg tablets that are further divided into six silver with blue blister packs, each containing ten tablets.
Last September the GA-FDD urged consumers to make complaints against unauthentic products sold to them.
According to the Director of the Department, Marlon Cole, there is an increased need for monitoring of supermarkets, especially with the recent incident where the popular milk powder was being relabelled.
In January 2018 the GA-FDD said it will be moving to take legal actions against persons or businesses who are selling fake products on the local market.
His statement was made after reports surfaced that a Bourda, Georgetown grocery store had sold a woman fake milk powder.