Seventeen hundred (1700) cases of Dost sardine from China has been refused entry into Guyana by the Government Analyst – Food and Drug Department (GA-FDD) after it was discovered that the product bore incorrect labelling date and rusting of the tins.
This was revealed by Head of the GA-FDD, Marlan Cole who said in a statement that samples of the imported product were retrieved by inspectors of his department for examination on November 29.
Each of the 1700 cases contained 48 tins of 200 grams sardine.
He explained that upon examination, the coded information on the time revealed that the sardines were manufactured on the 1st August, 2014 and not on the 1st June 2016 as was stated on the labels. He noted too that the tins were already rusting, while the Free Sale/Health Certificate from China FDA was inconsistent with those usually presented to his department. Additionally, the exact name and address of the manufacture were not stated on the labels, which Cole said violates Regulation 18 of the Food and Drug Regulations.
And according to the GA-FDD head, these were only some of the reasons that influenced the Department’s decision.
In keeping with the Food and Drug Act Chapter 34:03 section 22 (II) and the Food and Drug Regulation 1977 regulation 11, Cole said that consent to grant entry of the product into the country for consumers to use was not granted.
He pointed out too that Head of the Customs Department and the Importer were officially notified as prescribed by the law.
Having followed these operating procedures, he said that the Department will now furnish a copy of the inconsistent Free Sale Certificate, which was used to facilitate the shipment into Guyana with the sister regulatory agency of China.
Additionally, the name and address of the exporter and the importer will be provided in an attempt to prevent future shipment of substandard foods being exported to Guyana from China.
Cole seized the opportunity to advise consumers to pay close attention to labels for dates, addresses, country of origin, instruction for storage, language (which must be in English) and the condition of containers when purchasing items of food at all times.
He committed that the Department will continue to work with all stakeholders to ensure substandard items of foods, drugs cosmetics and medical devices are prevented from being released on the local market.
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