The disclosure earlier this week by the Government Analyst-Food & Drugs Department (GAFDD) that four containers of “substandard” food items imported from Canada had been cleared for export by documentation purportedly issued by that country’s state-run Canadian Food Inspection Agency has been followed by a letter to the Agency by GAFDD Director Marlan Cole calling on it to exercise “greater regulatory oversight and /or scrutiny for items facilitated bearing your approval as wholeness from Canada to Guyana”.
The letter, a copy of which has been seen by this newspaper and which has also been copied to Canadian High Commissioner to Guyana Lilian Chatterjee asserts that “on the dates of October 2, September 18, 25 & 26, respectively, Free Sale/Health Certificate documents were signed by your department on behalf of Mr. Faizal Ali to ship four (4) containers bearing assorted items of Food to Guyana.” The letter goes on to state that the containers “were subjected to examination at the port of entry by Inspectors… and it was discovered that substandard items of food attested to by your department were in the container imported by Mr. Faizal Ali.”
Cole states in his letter that apart from refusing entry to the consignment, it is being returned to Canada for investigation.
In its media release on Wednesday the GAFDD had stated that prior to the current incident the Department had received several consumer complaints and that its Inspectors had made “many attempts” to conduct inspections and locate several bonds operated by Mr. Ally.
The communication from, Cole said that the “appeal” was being made “in the very best interest of consumer protection and safety.”
Canada, like the United States, has, in recent years, been continually sending signals to the international community regarding the enhancement of its “world-class food safety system” through the use of what it says are “innovative approaches, best practices and modern tools.” Significantly, the country’s aggressive promotion of its food safety regime places particular emphasis on issues like date labeling on pre-packaged foods and definitions of specific labeling terms.
