There have been too many instances where businesses have been found selling expired goods and Minister of Health, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy is warning consumers to be vigilant and report any case.
In a statement on Saturday, Ramsammy said his Ministry is strongly advising consumers to be more vigilant in reading labels on products with expiry dates. Food, medicine, beverages and cosmetic products are consumer items with expiration dates. Proper labeling of these products must include expiry dates, he said.
Inspectors from the Food and Drug Analyst (FDA) Department of the Ministry have been visiting business places to ensure that wholesalers and retailers are maintaining stocks which are within the manufacturers’ recommended dates for usage. “Unfortunately, the FDA inspectors are few and cannot be at every business place for every minute. For effective vigilance, the consumers must be a part of the system that will force shops, stores, supermarkets, pharmacies and other vendors to be fully compliant”, Ramsammy said.
He said the FDA has reported far too many instances where expired goods have been found on shelves of business entities, adding that too many consumers have reported purchasing expired goods. These goods include milk, sausages, medicines, baby food and canned fruits. Ramsammy pointed out that the FDA is mandated to remove and destroy all expired goods. “Unfortunately, the FDA is only able to take further action against pharmacies, but not other business places. The Ministry of Health is working with relevant authorities to ensure that other action can be taken, such as revocation of license to operate a business”, he assured.
He pointed out that once expiration dates have exceeded, the quality of the product will deteriorate. “Medicines can become less effective with decreased efficacy and taste and nutritional value for food can become unstable.
In some instances, safety of the products also becomes important. For medicines like insulin, antibiotics, blood pressure medicines, contraceptives and for products like condoms and blood sugar sticks, these could become life-threatening”, he warned.
The minister said his ministry is intensifying efforts at “label vigilance” and is asking the public to assist. “When you buy a product, look to see if an expiry date is present. Most product labels will have an expiry date. We are asking the public to ensure that products purchased have valid expiry dates”, he said.
The minister asked the public to report any case where retailers and wholesalers are selling expired goods. “The public is further advised to reject such goods when it comes to their notice. Business places will take notice that people are not buying such products and will comply more effectively under such circumstances”, Ramsammy said.
