PILES of expired food items were on Thursday afternoon seized from vendors at the Stabroek Market Bazaar by the Meat/ Food and Hygiene Department of the Mayor and City Council during a special exercise targeting the sale of expired goods.
The exercise commenced about 14:00 hrs and saw food inspectors moving from stall-to-stall, checking and confiscating mostly confectionary and beverages from the vendors.
The vendors complied with the food inspectors while others were left counting their losses, since most of their stalls were left almost empty.

Assistant meat and food inspector, Abiola Baker, noted that a large number of products were seized.

“It’s an exercise to rid the bazaar of expired products and to ensure what is being sold in the bazaar is healthy and is wholesome for consumers to purchase,” Baker added.
She deemed the condition as “bad” as concerns were raised on how the products were being stored, since some of the items had rodent bites.
“We’re only seizing products which are expired… we seize and destroy. Every food business within the City of Geoegetown we visit and carry out this exercise,” the assistant meat and food inspector said.

The inspector seized food products which were expired since 2017 and last month. Some had rat bites, mould and even roaches crawling on the packages.
One of the vendor complained, “It is just a date… wham with y’all,” as she sat watching the inspectors raid her stall.

Shoppers and passers-by welcomed the actions of the Mayor and City Council as they explained that what was being sold on the market was not healthy for consumers and vendors are just looking to make a dollar.