Bureau of Standards impounds expired goods from Newsite market

By Awan Achiek

The South Sudan National Bureau of Standards (SSNBS) on Wednesday seized a quantity of expired goods from Newsite market in Juba.

The goods which include cement, curry powder, tobacco and others were impounded during the ongoing inspection exercise.

John Nicodemus, Deputy Director of the Department of Meteorology at SSNBS, said the four-day exercise aims to ensure that consumable products are safe for human consumption.

Nicodemus said the inspectors on the first day found a lot of expired goods in some shops in the Newsite market.

“Even some of the weighing scales, we found that some are good or bad. Some are going to be taken for repair in the office and then returned back to the owners,” he disclosed.

Nicodemus added that the expired goods will be destroyed and the owners fined.

“But there are a lot of goods which are expired. We are going to dispose them off tomorrow or next week,” he said.

He urged the public to report cases of expired goods to the relevant authorities for immediate action.

Nicodemus called on business owners to comply with health and safety regulations.

Henry Rebento, Senior Meteorologist of SSNBS said they introduced a series of stringent measures for butchers to follow with the primary objective of improving public health and safety. 

“A butcher needs to have a weighing scale and you need to bring it for us to verify, and to make sure it is working and then we can stamp it for you for one year to use it in your business,” Rebento said.

Mathew Akech, a business manager of a wholesale shop in Newsite market, said he will comply with health and safety regulations put in place by the South Sudan National Bureau of Standards.

“We are very happy that you have come to inspect the market to make sure that customers don’t buy expired goods. This is going to be the first and last day you will find expired or substandard goods in my shop,” Akech said.

The inspection exercise targets factories, supermarkets, shops, stores, slaughter houses and other business entities in Juba.