President of the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) Kester Hutson has urged citizens to speak out on the issue of expired goods in mainstream supermarkets throughout the country, and other breaches of regulations.
He said apart from robust monitoring and management by authorities such as the Government Food Analyst and Drug Department and the Guyana Bureau of Standards, the public’s help is also needed to curb this problem.
“Members of the Chamber would have shared with the Council and executives that we’ve been experiencing some challenges when we go to shop with our families. You recognise the labelling of a product is not in English, it’s expired, it’s not being well kept, and there’s some regulatory issues,” he pointed out.
Hutson was speaking to the News Room a few days ago on the sidelines of the launch of GCCI’s Business Development Forum.
“They should have some strict regulations when it comes to operating a supermarket,” Hutson said, adding, “From a standardisation standpoint, you travel and go to supermarkets abroad and you recognise that they’re properly labelled; they comply with international standards.”
He pointed out, too, that there’s a health issue when it comes to grouping of products, or having hazardous items next to those that people consume.
“We want to ensure that more monitoring is done and a thorough assessment. We want to encourage citizens to speak out. Guyana is growing very rapidly and so we demand a certain level of quality of service and products.”
In a statement earlier this month, the private sector group had said it is also calling on the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), through its Customs Department, to ensure all goods being cleared after import meet regulatory requirements.
“Notably, too, is the need for a closer examination of adherence to tax laws by those businesses to ensure equal application of the rule of law for all enterprises operating in this industry.
“In the same vein the Chamber is calling for the labour laws to be respected. The GCCI is calling on the Ministry of Labour to ensure that those businesses are in complaint with the Labour Act, Occupational Health and Safety Act and other pertinent labour laws,” GCCI said.
