Latest update February 10th, 2025 2:25 PM
Beepat’s supports ban of ‘fake’ Tuna
In light of the Government Analyst- Food and Drug Department refusing the release of a shipment of canned ‘Buiwick’ Tuna, Beepat’s has commended the agency for blocking the entry of the Tuna into the local market.
Beepat’s, the company which is the sole distributor of ‘Brunswick’ Tuna, said
The fake Tuna (at left) alongside the ‘Brunswick” branded can of Tuna.
in a statement yesterday that it thanks the Government of Guyana for its vigilance and swift action in identifying and blocking food products that were considered to be false, misleading and deceptively labelled from entering the market.
On Wednesday, this newspaper published an article based on a statement circulated by the GA-FDD informing citizens of its refusal of entry to a total of 2000 cartons 48 x 170g of Tuna imported from China.
According to the statement, the ‘bogus’ product was outfitted with the label ‘Buiwick’ instead of the widely known ‘Brunswick’ name, and with the exact address of the manufacturer. However, the country of origin was not stated.
The GA-FDD said that the label was deemed false, misleading and deceptive based on the Food and Drug Act Chapter 34:03. The department said that the label was found to be inadequate based on the Food and Drug Regulation of 1977, Regulation 18 Part (2) (a) clause (iii) – Labels.
Director of GA-FDD Marlan Cole said that his agency will be notifying the regulatory agency of the People’s Republic of China on the findings and action, because official documentation with attestation was used to facilitate the shipment of falsely labelled tuna into Guyana.
According to Beepat’s, the intercepted product was an obvious attempt to mislead and deceive Guyanese consumers who may have thought they were purchasing their regular ‘Brunswick’ canned tuna.
“We fully agree with the government’s advice to consumers to ‘take a second look’ at brand labels to ensure that the country of origin and exact name and address of manufacturers are stated on the label.”
The sole distributor said that the ‘Brunswick’ brand has a long and proud history of supplying Guyana and over 50 other countries around the world with high quality, reliable and affordable canned seafood products.
“Labels on ‘Brunswick’ products are developed in full compliance with local labelling regulations and always include a full listing of ingredients, nutritionals, and contract information so consumers reach ‘Brunswick’ via regular mail or website.”
The importer of the supposedly fake tuna, Goolmohamad Rahaman of G. Bacchus Enterprise, has responded to the information being supplied by GA-FDD saying that there is no reason why the agency should reject the goods he imported simply because the country of origin is printed on the labels of the tuna cans.
Ther label on a can of the ‘Buiwick’ Tuna states that the manufactured good is a “Product of P.R.C”. According to Rahaman, P.R.C is the abbreviation for “People’s Republic of China.”
Additionally, the importer provided this newspaper with a certificate of origin dated January 11, 2017, showing that the product has been certified by the People’s Republic of China. The certificate also states that the exporter of the product is ‘Tropical Food Manufacturing (Ningbo) Co. Ltd., 78 Binjiang Zhilu, Xiaogang, Ningbo, China.’
It was also declared by the exporter that all the goods were produced in China, and that they comply with the Rules of Origin of the People’s Republic of China. Tropical Food Manufacturing is also named as the manufacturer of the product based on the information given on the label of the can.
The labels of the cans for both brands of tuna are strikingly similar. The colour scheme is similar as well as the placement of images and the types of images used. The font used is also similar on both cans. Based on these observances it is believed that the ‘Buiwick’ Tuna is a knock off of the popular and well established “Brunswick” Tuna.
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