Beware counterfeit condoms, sanitiser, health official urges

COUNTERFEIT condoms and hand sanitiser have been among the bogus items unearthed by the Ministry of Health's Chemistry, Food and Drugs Division, director Farz Khan said at the British High Commission's webinar on illicit trade on Wednesday.

He detailed bogus items seized by his unit. These included boxes of counterfeit condoms plus hand sanitisers containing a lower level of ethanol than declared on the label, presumably weakening its efficacy against the covid19 virus.

Khan said some traders were thawing out deep-frozen meat and passing it off to customers as being fresh or chilled.

Other foods seized were imported wild meat, honey and canned corned beef. Unregistered pharmaceuticals were also seized and refused entry, he added.

Khan said illegally imported alcohol amounted to 20 per cent of high-end beverages, evading evasion of US$8.6 million, or about $60 million.

He said while food fraud was garnering more attention, it was not a new problem, as he recalled the olive oil scandal in the 1980s, adulteration of milk in 2008, horsemeat fraud in 2013 and dye in spices.

"Food fraud is a global transnational problem that impacts on the local agri-food economy, tax collection, consumer health and consumer trust."

Food fraud can harm public health and needs co-ordinated action to tackle it, he said.

He recalled red dye found in ground chilli, melamine (a component of some plastics) in infant formula and pet food, horsemeat in beef products, peanut in cumin, and waste oil in cooking oil.

The ministry's principal pharmacist Anesa Doodnath-Siboo in her presentation noted seizures in TT of the regulated drugs MDMA (ecstasy), phentermine and ketamine, which had led to the ministry's regulations being amended to include these drugs.

"There are trends we are very aware of. We are working closely with the Ministry of National Security."

She said 192 million people worldwide use cannabis. She noted some states in the US legalised it in 2019, and said more potent strains are now entering the market.

Doodnath-Siboo said that in all jurisdictions, the use of cannabis has increased after legalisation.