No wavier for importers in 2018 – GA-FDD

The Government Analyst Food and Drug Department (GA-FDD) is warning importers that, in the New Year, there will be no wavier regarding the relevant documentation from the countries where food items are being brought.
The GA-FDD on Saturday reminded food importers that Customs entry documents must be accompanied with the original health or free-sale certificate that must be issued by the regulatory authority of the country of origin, as is prescribed in the Food and Drug Act 32 (2), which states that “no article of food…shall be imported into Guyana unless the article wholly conforms to the law of the country in which it was manufactured or produced, and is accompanied by a certificate in prescribed form and manner that the article does not contravene any known requirement of the law of that country…” and its regulations.
The GA-FDD disclosed that during 2017, it had been inundated with requests for waivers by importers, which is a clear violation of the Act.
To this end, the GA-FDD has stated that for the upcoming year 2018, requests for such waivers will not be facilitated by the Department. It added that only custom entries that are accompanied with the relevant documents will cause the release of goods for sale on the local market.
Moreover, importers are also advised to ensure that suitable and approved (licensed) storage facilities are available for the safe and protective storage of food items to be bought by consumers.
This is a requirement according to section 8 of the Food and Drugs Act: “Any person who manufactures, prepares, preserves, packages or stores for sale any food under insanitary conditions is guilty of an offence.”
The GA-FDD further warns that importers who are without the requisite storage facilities will not be allowed to import items of food to be released for sale to the general public.