The New Amsterdam Municipality on Wednesday afternoon destroyed hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of expired goods, which were seized in several exercises to weed out substandard importation.
Some of the items which were seized and destroyed
Among the items seized and destroyed from business places were baby food and body care products. On Wednesday the municipality embarked on an exercise to destroy the items seize from supermarkets and grocery shops in Central New Amsterdam, Berbice, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne). Most of the items had expiry dates dating back to 2018. According to Environmental
Health Assistant Salima Outar said the safety operation is carried out every three months. She said that items seized in the second quarter of the year were more than what had been seized in the first quarter. Outar said that a large amount of the items seized were from a particular supermarket, but the proprietor was very uncooperative with the probe.
“That is why we are advising the general public to check items as they purchase them,” Outar said, and added that persons should continuously check the expiry dates on items they are purchasing.
“We want to put the public on their guard because they are paying for these items… as you find these items, contact us and we will do the necessary,” she noted.
Essence, pepper sauce, bottled beverages, olive oil and packaged spices and medical supplies are just a few of the items seized.
“Even face products, body products, and a range of edible things that you would find in a supermarket…and even down to baby items. So, we are advising persons that when they are purchasing baby items as well, please check the date, because we have picked up numerous baby items in stores that have been expired for over a year and six months.”
The business owners were not fined or otherwise penalised for selling the expired goods. However, it was noted that the destruction of the substandard products has resulted in major losses for the dishonest business persons.
