Jagdeo supports “severe penalties” for businesses that tamper with expiry dates on products

Vice President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo on Thursday strongly condemned businesspersons who are involved in tampering with the expiry dates of products and then offering them for sale.

Speaking during his weekly press conference, Jagdeo noted that severe penalties must be instituted for such practices.

“They’re putting at risk the people of this country and children and everyone,” he contended.

The Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) recently expressed concerns about the increase in the presence of counterfeit, expired, and inappropriately labelled goods in the market, which are not only clear violations of lawful standards but also a health hazard to consumers.

Jagdeo recalled one instance where he consumed an expired beverage which was stamped to show it had one-year remaining shelf-life. The product was sent to the Government Analyst Food and Drug Department (GA-FDD) which found that the packaging had been restamped by a company located on the East Coast of Demerara (ECD).

“The agencies that are responsible (for monitoring and enforcement), they should come under scrutiny.”

“It is intolerable, it is unconscionable, they’re putting people at risk. Those people once caught, should be facing severe penalties for doing this,” the Vice President said.

The Chamber in its statement urged the Customs, Excise and Trade Operations of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) and the GA-FDD to The Vice President added that: “It seems as though some people are turning a blind eye to this or there may be corruption involved, or weakness in monitoring.”nsure products offered for sale meet regulatory requirements.

The Vice President added that: “It seems as though some people are turning a blind eye to this or there may be corruption involved, or weakness in monitoring.”

In this regard, he called on the authorities to pay more attention to the prevalence of these items on the local market.