GEORGETOWN, Guyana (CMC) — Guyanese authorities have refused to allow 1,700 cases of Dost sardines into the country from China.

The Government Analyst – Food and Drug Department (GA-FDD) said the decision was taken after it was discovered that the product bore incorrect labelling date and some of the tins were already rusting.

Head of the GA-FDD, Marlan Cole, in a statement said that samples of the imported product were retrieved by inspectors for examination on November 29. Each of the 1,700 cases contained 48 tins of 200 grams sardine.

Cole said that upon examination, the coded information on the time revealed that the sardines were manufactured on August, 1, 2014 and not on June 1, 2016 as was stated on the labels.

He said also that the tins were already rusting, while the Free Sale/Health Certificate from China FDA was inconsistent with those usually presented to his department. Additionally, the exact name and address of the manufacturer were not stated on the labels, which Cole said violates Regulation 18 of the Food and Drug Regulations.

Cole said these were only some of the reasons that influenced the department’s decision.

He said in keeping with the Food and Drug Act Chapter 34:03 section 22 (II) and the Food and Drug Regulation 1977 regulation 11, consent to grant entry of the product into the country for consumers to use was not granted.

He pointed out too that head of the Customs Department and the importer were officially notified as prescribed by the law.

Cole said that the department will now furnish a copy of the inconsistent Free Sale Certificate, which was used to facilitate the shipment into Guyana with the sister regulatory agency of China.

Additionally, the name and address of the exporter and the importer will be provided in an attempt to prevent future shipment of substandard foods being exported to Guyana from China.

Cole urged consumers to pay close attention to labels for dates, addresses, country of origin, instruction for storage, language (which must be in English) and the condition of containers when purchasing items of food at all times.