Business charged for selling foreign-labelled candies -Food and Drug Dept. refuses ‘Ovaltine’ shipment from Vietnam

Jun 24, 2018 News

The Government Analyst – Food and Drug Department (GA-FDD) said it is again advising the general public and importers about the need for proper labeling for imported food.
The department pointed out that under Regulation No. 18 of the Food & Drugs Act (Chapter 34:03) of the Laws of Guyana and the Food & Drugs Regulations No. 10 of 1977 of Guyana, it is a requirement for all foods, drugs, cosmetics and medical devices that are imported for sale or use in Guyana to have labels that are in English and comply with the requirements of Part II Section 18 (1) (2), which states the necessary information that the label should carry.
However, GA-FDD said, it has been observed that there are numerous foreign-labelled food items being offered for sale on the local market.
“It is essential that regulated products be labelled in English, so persons offering these products for sale or those using them can clearly understand important information, such as their direction for use, expiry date, ingredients, name & address of manufacturer, storage condition and necessary precautions. This enables consumers or users to make informed choices on products.”
The department said that it recently seized 63 tins of “Anglo Corn Beef” labelled in a foreign language.
During this exercise, the department said that it encountered expired items at the premises of a proprietor.
“Criminal charges have been filed by the Department’s Prosecutor at the Georgetown Magistrate Court on the 21st of June, 2018 against this proprietor for knowingly and deliberately offering for sale expired and foreign labelled items.”
In addition, the department said it has had cause to refuse entry to containers of food with foreign-labelled “Ovaltine” from Vietnam on the 10th of May, 2018 and “Confectionery” from China on the 6th of June, 2018 that were labelled in a foreign language, had no address of manufacturer and/or without date marks.
“The department is calling on all consumers to carefully examine all food products before making purchases to ensure that these foods are labelled in English and contain all the required labelling information which includes brand name, common name, net contents, list of ingredients, storage instructions, name and address of manufacturer or person preparing the food and its country of origin, expiry and manufacture dates.”
GA-FDD said that it is urging wholesalers and retailers to understand that they also have a legal responsibility to ensure that wholesome foods reach the consumers and to ensure that all labels are in English.
“The Department is calling on these proprietors to adhere to the Food and Drugs Regulation or face prosecution.”

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