Food and Drugs Department defends import requirements for food

Nov 03, 2015 News

More than a week after a local distribution company said that it was being harassed by the Government Analyst –Food and Drug Department (GA-FDD), the entity is insisting that all food imports must be accompanied by the relevant documentation.
According to the department’s Director, Marlan Cole, in a statement, the documents must include and not limited to a Free Sale Certificates or a Health Certificate and/or a Certificate of Analysis.

Director of Food and Drugs, Marlan Cole

“The Free Sales or Health Certificates must be issued by the regulatory authority or agency from the Country of Origin. The Certificate of Analysis can be issued by an independent laboratory or that of the manufacturer,” Cole said.
He pointed out that the country’s laws are explicit when it comes to food importation.
“Except as provided by the regulations, no article of food, drug, cosmetics or devices shall be imported into Guyana unless the article wholly confirms to the laws of the country in which it was manufactured or produced and is accompanied by a certificate in prescribe form and manner that the article does not contravene any know requirements of the laws of that country and that its sale therein would not constitute a contraventions of the law thereof.”
Original copies of Free Sale Certificate or Health Certificate would attest to the fact that the items of food being imported are produced and manufactured under safe regulatory and sanitary conditions where regular inspections are conducted on the premises or the factory.
“The certificate guided the department in relation to the product’s specification and manufacturing compliance. These documents will support the GA-FDD when executing our mandate, which is to protect consumers by ensuring only safe and wholesome foods are released for sale on our local market,” Cole insisted.
He said that the GA-FDD recently conducted stakeholders’ consultation with members of the general public and the business community in association with Environmental Health Officers from the various regions to highlight the regulatory functions and services of the department in the interest of trade and consumer protection.
Consultation held to date were on February 26, 2015 at the National Library; March 25, 2015 at the Berbice Regional Health Authority Boardroom, Fort Canje; April 15, 2015 at the RDC Boardroom, Anna Regina, Essequibo; July 30, 2015 at the Bartica Hospital Boardroom, and on August 18, 2015 at the Mayor and Town Council Boardroom, Linden.
Cole said that the department will shortly be taking its exercise to Regions Three, Five and Nine in an effort to ensure that foods, drugs, cosmetics and medical devices traded and produced locally meet national and international standards.
Over a week ago, local manufacturing and distribution company, Sueria Manufacturing Inc., said that it had been forced to downsize its operations, sending home at least 10 of its staff members from its Distribution Department in the process.
Frank Sanichara, the company’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), said the move is as a result of the entity facing months of discrimination and harassment by the Food and Drugs Department.
Sanichara believed that his products that he imports from the United States and Canada were being unfairly targeted resulting in his company incurring losses to the tune of millions of dollars.
The regulatory body, Sanichara said, constantly changes either its requirements for importation or finds other unconventional ways of placing a hold on his stocks.
The businessman, who said he returned to invest with his wife, Teshawna Lall, holds the exclusive rights to import several international brands including Guzzler Juice, Juicy-Juice and Tropical Delight.
Because of changing requirements and mistakes by the department, the company had to dump its products and faces delays at the wharves with its containers.
With regards to the laws, Sanichara pointed out that nothing is there says quantity.
“A Free Sale Certificate basically is a letter saying that the product is good for human consumption. It confirms to the laws of the country in which it was manufactured, signed and notarized by the relevant authorities. That’s all there is to it. The certificates I provided to the Food and Drugs Department in Guyana clearly says that.”
Sanichara also questioned how it is that large quantity of Guzzler juices are being imported into the country when he is the sole authorized distributor.
“How are these items managing to pass the Food and Drugs Department when I am the only one with a Free Sale Certificate and a Certificate of Analysis from American Beverage who is the manufacturer? What more evidence do we need that this department is being vindictive?”
The businessman complained about his growing frustration at doing business in Guyana.
“At this point, I really don’t care to continue to invest in Guyana. I was in the process of starting up a state-of-the-art plantain chips factory but with the way the system operates in Guyana, I do not want to stick around. Their (the department) actions are affecting my cash flow. It is also affecting the Guyana Revenue Authority from collecting their revenues.”
With millions of dollars in goods sitting waiting for clearance, the businessman said he has been forced to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on demurrage charges.
The situation has forced the company to halt advertisements and cancel a number of charitable events planned.
The frustrated businessman has written to Cole, copying the letters to Minister of Public Health, Dr. George Norton, and Minister of Business, Dominic Gaskin.