EXPIRED goods,  found in  a number of business places in West Coast
Berbice , were taken off the shelves,  and destroyed by staffers of
the Environmental Health Division (EHD) of Region 5 (Mahaica/Berbice)
working  in collaboration with the Food and Drugs Department, last
week.
The discovery and subsequent destruction resulted from raids to ensure
food safety in goods offered for sale in shops in the villages of
Bush Lot, Hope Town and Bath Settlement.
The goods seized and destroyed included packaged potato chips,
chocolate mixes, garlic sauce, wafers, fruit juices, bottled casareep,
tinned and packaged  milk and aerated drinks.
A source at the EHD repeated an advisory to consumers  that they
should check  the expiry dates on the containers of products before
buying and consuming, since doing otherwise could lead to abdominal
problems and serious illnesses.
“On returning home from shopping , if they find that they  bought
expired goods by mistake, they should bring it to the attention  of the
EHD or the Food and Drugs Department to ensure that corrective action
is taken,” the source said.
The source disclosed that many of the businesses inspected cooperated
with the staffers except for one prominent businessman, the owner of a
large storage bond  and supermarket, who refused to let the
Environmental Health staffers enter his premises.
The source said that this incident has been reported to the police and
other authorities .
The source advised business people in West Berbice to conduct
stocktaking on a regular basis and so always ensure that the food
items  they  offer for sale are fit for human
consumption.