The Government is putting businesses involved in selling expired goods and altering expiration dates on products on notice, and is warning them of severe penalties they will face once caught in the act.

On Thursday, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo expressed worry that the business of selling expired goods has now grown into an industry in Guyana. He said the Government will not allow it to continue.  

“Too many businessmen are ripping people off by bringing in not just substandard goods but goods that are near expiration date that they get for cheap. They are not selling the goods cheap here, they just bring them in, so that their profit margins can be bigger. And then, some of them actual change the expiration date, they are putting at risk the people of this country and children and everyone,” the Vice President said.

At his weekly press conference, Mr. Jagdeo said he has also found himself falling victim to the problem, and revealed that he was once served an expired beverage at a city hotel.

He said an investigation by the Government Analyst Food and Drug Department confirmed that the beverage had expired approximately six months before it was served to him, and the expiration date was altered to reflect a later date. It was linked to a business on the East Coast of Demerara. 

With expired goods flooding the local markets, the Vice President suspects that there may be some level of corruption involved either at the level of the Government Analyst Food and Drug Department or the Customs Department of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA). 

“It seems as though some people are turning a blind eye to this or there may be corruption involved. Weakness in monitoring or corruption involved, and it is putting people at risk. It is putting people at risk,” Jagdeo said. 

He said the Government Analyst Food and Drug Department and the Customs Department of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) must come under great scrutiny for allowing the expired goods “industry” to flourish. He said the act of selling expired goods is intolerable and unconscionable, adding that all involved must be held accountable. 

The issue was recently raised by the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce which had pointed to the increasing number of counterfeit, expired and inappropriately labelled goods on the market.

In a statement issued earlier this month, the Chamber of Commerce called on the Bureau of Standards and the Government Analyst Food and Drug Department to ensure that an investigation is conducted and products found to be in contravention of the laws and regulations removed from the shelves and prohibited from sale.

It also called on the Guyana Revenue Authority through its Customs Department, to ensure all goods being cleared after import meet regulatory requirements.

GGCI said there is also the need for greater adherence to tax laws by a number of businesses to ensure equal application of the rule of law to all businesses and enterprises operating in the country.

From time to time, raids are conducted at various business by the Bureau of Standards and the Government Analyst Food and Drug Department, but the prevalence of expired and counterfeit products on the local markets remain high. 

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