Strict monitoring of food labelling starts – GA-FDD head

…defiance will lead to prosecution

Both locally manufactured and imported food products are now under the microscope by the Government Analyst Food and Drug Department (GA-FDD) as it relates to the informative content that is available to consumers.
This was revealed by the Director of the GA-FDD Marlan Cole on Saturday, who informed Guyana Times that the agency is currently on a mission to eliminate all food items which are incorrectly labelled or in some cases, labelled in a foreign language.
“As long as these items are not in compliance as it relates to composition or the labelling requirement or their erroneous misleading as in terms of the label, they would be refused entry into the country,” Cole stated.
Cole explained that while the organisation is not responsible for the number of foreign products which are imported in Guyana, they can impose a ban on a product which is not to the expected standards. These standards are there to ensure that the consumers are aware of the expiry and manufactured dates, the manufacturer and ingredients among other details which will ensure that quality products are bought and consumed.
“We’re not concerned about foreign imported or locally manufactured food. We’re not a protective agency for industries. We’re here to facilitate trade and to protect the consumers so as long as foreign imported goods reach our labelling requirement composition and they’re not false or misleading and have adequate amount of information for the consumers, they would be allowed into the country.”
Furthermore, he noted that all retail and wholesale entities are found supplying food items which are expired or incorrectly labelled in relation to the Food and Drugs Act will be subjected to prosecution.
“Going forward now, anybody that is found on the other side of the law where food is concerned will submit to prosecution. In locally manufactured and imported products, the requisite standards would be subjected to our regulatory oversight,” the GAFDD Director informed.
This decision comes in light of the fact that many businesses, both small and large, were found with food items that are below the regulated standards. In the recent times, some items such as Ovaltine and confection were banned from entering the country because of their labelling.
Last week, the Food Safety Department (FSD) also announced the launch of a campaign to discontinue the ongoing epidemic of expired products from entering Guyanese households.
One local businessman has since been charged for selling expired, foreign-labelled items.
The Chief Meat and Food Inspector of the Food Safety Department (FSD), Onika Blackman had explained that many persons are unaware of the dangers expired food items can cause to humans once consumed. She noted that in many instances, vendors are warned that expired products are not to be sold but many are still found with these items.
Stalls at the Stabroek Bazaar were raided in search for expired products from officials of the FSD. In this scenario, many vendors were found in possession of goods that are deemed unfit for consumption as they would’ve surpassed the expiry date. The items were seized and destroyed. In some cases, the consumer information was printed in a different language while in others, the dates were removed. The expiry of some products dated back to 2017.
The public is advised to notify the department of any cases where expired products are sold so that there can be some intervention to prevent the scourge of selling expired products.