LAST week it was reported in the press that the Pesticide Division of the Ministry of Agriculture had seized over 300 Kg of mosquito coils manufactured by Zenden. This was the second seizure they had made of the same brand of coils. These mosquito coils were manufactured in China and were smuggled into the country, very likely from Suriname.

These coils are very dangerous to health and could cause cancer and heart and lung diseases which could be terminal. There are other brands of China-made mosquito coils and insecticides on the local market which are equally harmful to health.

The main governmental agencies which are responsible for tracking down, seizing and destroying such harmful food, drugs and other goods such as substandard cell phones are the Food and Drug Department, the Pesticides Division of the Ministry of Agriculture and the Guyana National Bureau of Standards. Each of these agencies has its own peculiar activities which differ from each other and should not be confused.

The Bureau of Standards, for example, has been dealing with cell phones which are passed off to the public as new but which are really second-hand or have forged brand names. Cell phones are outside the remit of both the Food and Drug Department and the Pesticides Division.

Now that the holiday season is with us, there seems to have been a marked increase in smuggled goods on the market. Most of these smuggled goods are harmful to health in a variety of ways but they are usually attractively packaged and inviting to the consumer. It would be impossible to mention all these goods but we would mention some of them so that consumers would be alerted to be on guard and the enforcing authorities would be reminded of their remit.

Unfortunately, the enforcing authorities are always short of enough inspectors who would be able to remove from the market toxic food and drugs and other harmful goods. And in any case, if inspectors work in areas such as the crowded markets, they would require police protection since, in such places, they are often subjected to verbal and physical abuse and attacks. The police usually find it difficult to mobilise the extra manpower and especially during the holiday season. At risk to themselves, the inspectors valiantly go about their duties.

As mentioned above, we will mention some of the harmful goods which are widely available. Soft drinks usually have a shelf-life of three months and many foreign imported soft drinks are sold to unsuspecting customers after expiry dates. Sometimes the drinks may be so dated that they have to be sold at knockdown prices without the consumer knowing why the prices have been lowered. Recently, one of the members of our association saw the Jamaican drink I-Cool being sold at less than half the price; on careful examination of the bottle, he found that the drink had long expired. Many foreign imported “energy drinks” have had harmful effects on those who have drunk them.

Not only many mosquito coils on the market are dangerous to health, but liquid insecticides as well. These insecticides are usually in aerosol containers and are perfumed so that one could comfortably inhale them without being conscious of the poisons one is ingesting. These East-Asian perfumed insecticides have far higher levels of poison than Western-produced insecticides which are safer and always carry a slightly unpleasant smell to alert users of their toxic nature.

Another product on the local market of which consumers need to be aware is the large variety of attractively packaged low -quality cosmetics. The perfumes in these products disappear in a short time and some of these cosmetics harm the skin. Many of the lipsticks, for example, have a high mercury content and with use peel the thin skin from the lips, leaving the lips looking raw and whiteish.

Or there are sweets and biscuits imported from Latin American countries such as Colombia. These confections are of low quality and poor standard and are usually cheaper than their Caribbean and Western-produced equivalents. Actually, some of the products made in the Caribbean, such as the crackers made by Banks DIH or the rums produced by Demerara Distillers or the sweets and spices produced by Edward Beharry Co, are world class.

Potted foods should also be bought after some examination for production and expiry dates, the contents of the tin as stated on the label and the brand name and country of origin. It is safer to buy a well-known brand name. Country of origin is also useful for buying. For example, the USA is one of the world’s greatest peanut producers and their peanut butter is acceptable worldwide. Some years ago, a peanut butter known as Peter Han, imported from China was widely distributed. The Peter Han brand was meant to closely imitate the labelling and name of Peter Pan, a well-known American brand, and was able to capture a large part of the market until it was found it was toxic and banned from Guyana.

Consumers should also be aware of bread and pastries being sold locally. Many bakers put far too much sugar in their bread and pastries, and many who use such bread are unwittingly exacerbating their diabetic condition. It is ripe for the Food and Drug Department to intervene and have the baking industry produce bread with internationally accepted quantities of sugar in their bread mixtures.

Matches and cigarettes are smuggled into the country. These matches are not safety matches and could lead to burns. The illegally imported cigarettes are of lower quality than Demtoco’s imports. For those who still use cigarettes, the smuggled cigarettes are even more harmful than Demtoco’s. In any case, cigarettes and tobacco products are very dangerous to health and the Guyana Consumers Association has been advising consumers to keep away from all tobacco products.

Consumers are therefore enjoined to always inspect the expiry dates of their purchases, buying reputable brand names, examine the quantities since many packaging could give the impression that one is buying a larger quantity and country of origin of purchases.