Despite hundreds of products labelled in different foreign languages and prominently displayed on supermarket shelves, acting Comptroller of Customs and Excise Glen Singh told parliament’s Joint Select Committee (JSC) meeting yesterday that he only remembered one incident of this type of goods entering this country, but it was “many, many years ago.”
He said this was when he was a junior officer when a shipment of sardines was labelled in Spanish and subsequently sent for testing rather than being placed on the shelves.
But Singh could give no other instances, even present ones, of goods with foreign labels coming into T&T.
“That would be based on intelligence. That is the only way which we can successfully target this,” Singh said.
The committee, chaired by Senior Counsel Sophia Chote, continued its examination of food fraud.
Asked what were the measures implemented by Customs to deal with mislabelling, Singh said documents were submitted to the division which other governmental agencies had access to including the Food and Drugs Division which would in turn give the green light or not regarding the goods.
“In the case of food, either they would exempt that transaction from their surveillance, they may say release to warehouse or release for inspection and we are guided by whatever direction they give,” Singh said.
He said if there was an instance where the goods were held for inspection Customs officers and division members would then conduct the necessary inspection.
Pressed further as to when a response would be granted by the division in case of an infraction, Singh said this may vary as it depended on what was being examined, adding that the examination could take place the same day.
Asked whether Customs had encountered any instances of tainted food entering this country and to provide such statistics Singh could give no such information, saying this would require some analysis.
Regarding how confident he was regarding the safety of the food entering the country Singh said given the volume of trade conducted by this country it was impossible to examine every container.
“We are aiming for maybe 75 to 80 per cent without examination...that is our aim. So we deliver these goods without examination. If it is that the Food and Drug Authority having viewed whatever they need to view and determine that they also don’t have an interest in it, chances are that the particular product may never be examined by Customs or the respective governmental agencies.
“The reverse is also true that we may not have an interest for examination based on our risk criteria but the respective agencies may want to examine and in such a case we leave it up to them,” Singh said.
On the competence of officers, Singh said they were effective in carrying out their respective functions.
“We are so depleted of resources but the quality of the people we have are some of the best,” Singh said, adding that measures were being put in place to fill the vacancies.
No poultry standards
Dr Desmond Ali, executive director of the Caribbean Poultry Association, said he had actually witnessed “up the islands” 20 kilos of chicken stamped for “pet meat only” by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) which were also “over-stamped for export to the islands” and in turn being sold in various Caribbean countries.
The wings and breasts of the chicken were identified as prime cuts while the leg quarters, deemed less desirable, were destined for export.
The meat must be consumed within 180 days of slaughter.
“Right now as I speak the Americans have nearly a billion pounds of dark meat in storage that they can’t even give away so the minute it goes after 180 days the price falls through the floor because it is either going for pet meat or to a country where there are no standards and that is the problem we are facing,” Ali added.
He urged that a poultry standard, clearly identifying poultry, be implemented in this country.
This, he added, must include how the animal was being slaughtered, how the meat was being handled and sold.
Ali said the association had spent a number of years working with various stakeholders to develop regional standards which were approved by the Caribbean Regional Organisation for Standards and Quality in 2012 but to date nothing has been implemented.
He said this was due to the fact that such standards were deemed optional.
Another issue, he added, was that local authorities took too long to respond when an infraction was detected.
Robin Phillips, president of the Poultry Association of T&T, said upon approaching the expiration date the poultry price which was tabled at US 60 cents per pound drastically dropped, in some cases as low as US 18 cents.
“So when that product has exceeded the 180 days there is further discounting taking place. So it then makes that product very inexpensive.
“But after the 180 days it is deemed unfit for human consumption. In the US if it reaches 180 days and there is no export market willing to accept it where there is not the 180 days standard it is sent to the pet food industry. But if they could get a higher value instead of stamping it as pet food they would sell it to that market,” Phillips said.
He said to treat with such a matter would entail a policy decision.
The lab at the Food and Drugs Division has been nonfunctional for the past 15 years and as a result all testing has to be done at the Caribbean Industrial Research Institute (CARIRI).
Dr Mahindra Ramdeen, chief executive officer of the T&T Manufacturers’ Association, called for updated laws to be put in place.
He said in some instances there was no definition in law regarding certain products, namely, that of “flavoured water.”
This prompted Agriculture Minister Clarence Rambharat to say, “Water is water. Flavoured water is soft drink. Consumers are being misled and taken advantage. Bottled water is one of the biggest frauds being practised on the consumers in this country.”