Toothpaste expired since 2002 being sold on local market – GA-FDD warns

The Government Analyst-Food and Drug Department (GA-FDD) on Wednesday said it was alerting consumers about the circulation of Colgate toothpaste that was being sold at a significantly reduced price.

According to the GA-FDD, the toothpaste has expired since October 2002.
Inspectors of the Department, along with ranks from the La Penitence Police Station visited several retail outlets in Georgetown, including the Bourda Market, the Stabroek Bazaar and the La Penitence Market, where the expired products were seized and removed.
The Department said an alert was also dispatched to members of its National Food Safety and Control Committee/Public Health/Environmental Health Officers (EHOs) in all 10 administrative regions and municipalities.
Law enforcement officers who accompanied Inspectors of the Department have arrested one retailer for knowingly and deliberately selling an expired product to unsuspecting consumers. The expired products that were found in Stabroek and Bourda Markets were intended for the Canadian market.
Criminal charges, the GA-FDD said, are being filed against retailers and the wholesalers/distributor under the Public Health Ordinance Cap 145 Section 99 and the Food and Drug Act Cap 34:03 Section 14(b).
On Wednesday, the GA-FDD said that the consumer who made the complaint reported being hospitalised for several weeks after accidentally ingesting the expired product as a result of becoming very ill.
“The Department is strongly advising consumers and particularly during the festive season to pay closer attention to the expiry date and the label of products. Consumers are advised not to consume products that are in a foreign language, have their expiry date removed or those that are being sold at significantly reduced prices,” the statement from the GA-FDD said.
The entity is calling on all members of the public who have additional information or are affected to make contact with the Department on telephone number 222-8859.
Additionally, the GA-FDD said the official distributor of this product, Massy Distributors has since written to the Department distancing itself from the products, since they were not part of its supply chain. Massy Distributors is currently assisting the Department with investigations.