Against the backdrop of controversies and litigation linked to importation of commercial quantities of mostly foods that fail to meet the country’s food and drugs regulations, Acting Director of the Government Analyst Food and Drugs Department (GA/FDD) Marlan Cole says the situation warrants the stepping up of initiatives to stamp out the attempts to import items that might do untold damage to the health of the nation.
Cole made this comment even as he disclosed that the GA/FDD had embarked on a series of stakeholder awareness sessions around the country with regard to the work of the department as it relates to monitoring the importation of food, drugs, cosmetics and medical devices. Importers apart, the sessions also target regional health officers, regional environmental officers and health representatives of the municipalities across the country.
Cole said it was important that public officers in the health sector be made aware of the work of the GA/FDD so that they can play their supporting roles more efficiently.
Another important target group for the sessions is importers who operate food storage bonds where large quantities of imported foods are stored. According to Cole, the department had also initiated the sensitization sessions on account of complaints from importers who claim a lack of familiarity with the work of the GA/FDD.
In recent months the GA/FDD has had to respond to a surfeit of cases in which importers have failed to satisfy the requirements under the law in the matter of importing foods. While some importers have claimed ignorance of the law, others are believed to have sought, deliberately, to circumvent the authority of the GA/FDD.
The department has made public a case in which a member of its staff may have been enticed into forging the signature of the department’s acting director in order to secure the release of imported goods through from the Customs and Trade Administration. That matter is currently engaging the attention of the police.
While Cole has persistently declined to comment on this matter it is widely believed that unscrupulous businessmen have attempted to corrupt employees of the department in order to secure entry for food imports not adhering to the regulations.
Cole said he has not been overwhelmed by the number of importers who have been attending the sessions. He said that while he assumed the businessmen faced the constraint of demanding schedules he believed it was important, nonetheless, that they place themselves in a position to comply with the law.
The current round of sensitization sessions has been completed in several regions.
The issues addressed during the sessions include requirements for the importation of food, drugs, cosmetics and medical devices including the documentation associated with the importation process. The sessions also provide critical briefings on inspection of imports, bond facilities and bond management, record keeping, documentation and shelf life of products. Cole said the sessions also provide information on the department’s laboratory and testing capabilities.
