…proprietor charged, citizens urged to pay attention to labels

THE Government Analyst –Food and Drug Department (GA-FDD) is warning citizens to pay closer attention to the expiry dates on products sold on the local market.

The department said particular note should be taken of products sold in supermarkets along the East Coast, East Bank, and West Coast Demerara areas.

In a release, the department said it conducted an inspection exercise on 5th October, 2018, at a recently established supermarket on the East Coast of Demerara; the proprietor was discovered to be repackaging foods under insanitary conditions, selling expired foods and also tampering (extending the date mark on Condensed Milk products.)

Fifty-one tins× 395g of condensed milk which had the date marks tampered with, were seized and removed from the premises. Criminal proceedings have been instituted against this proprietor in the East Demerara Magisterial District, according to the Laws of Guyana Food and Drug Act Chapter 34:03 Section 35.

Part II (5) states ‘’any person who sells an article of food that is unfit for human consumption or was manufactured, prepared, packaged or stored under the unsanitary condition is guilty of an offence’’.

Also Part II (6) Food and Drug Act Cap 34:03 of 1971 states that “Any person who labels, packages, treats, processes, sells or advertises any food in a manner that is false, misleading or deceptive or is likely to create an erroneous impression regarding its character, value, quality, composition, merit or safety is guilty of an offence”.

In addition, members and representatives at the department’s recently hosted National Food Safety and Control Committee meeting, held on October 9th, were briefed on this practice and were asked to take the necessary enforcement action in their respective regions/ areas, the release added. “Consumers are again asked to ensure that all items of food have a label, is English translated and to ensure the dates are closely examined and not altered or tampered with.”