Health Minister reticent over revealing suspended operators’ names in expired food scandal
HEALTH MINISTER Andreas Gavrielides said yesterday he was still waiting for the Legal Services’ expert opinion on the legalities of the Ministry publicising the names of owners whose businesses had been suspended due to hygiene irregularities.
“I am of the opinion that when an order to suspend the operation of a foodstuff plant is given the names of the offenders should be announced because the conditions which prevail at the specific businesses pose a danger to citizens’ health,” said Gavrielides.
He was responding to reporters’ questions while attending an Ermes Group blood drive in Nicosia.
The Minister was referring to the Public Health Services’ series of recent discoveries of expired foodstuffs at various importers and manufacturers around the island, including expired cheese, ice cream, butter, flour and ham.
Consumer organisations have called for the introduction of a ‘name and shame’ policy to expose the guilty parties but the health services have said it could only name businesses in cases where public health was endangered.
Asked to comment why in the incidences where expired cheese had been located the businesses had been named, but that where other health protocols had been violated the businesses had not, the Minister said it was because the cheese had been found in an area of consumption.
“The law commands publicising the names of wrongdoers in this case,” he said. “When the competent authorities locate problems in the production of foodstuffs, which are not found in a place of consumption, recommendations are initially made to improve production conditions.”
Last month public health service inspectors uncovered 2,089 kilos of expired cheese at Larnaca dairy farm Adelphi Petrou and 3,755 kilos of outdated cheese at Klappas Trading Ltd. A further 57 kilos of the expired imported product was found at Semiramis Ltd, a Lakatamia bakery in Nicosia which had been supplied by Adelphi Petrou.
Last weekend 220 kilos of expired ice cream was found at Demetris Demetriou’s wholesale company as well as 4,612 kilos in the Milanese company’s fridges.
Gavrielides added: “The most extreme measure is the suspension of businesses operation… Up until today six businesses have been suspended; three in Nicosia, two in Limassol and one in Larnaca.”
Finally when asked to comment on recent mass dumping of expired dairy products at Nicosia district garbage sites the Health Minister said by law no one was obliged to inform the relevant authorities regarding their intention to get rid of their expired goods in that way.
Large quantities of ice cream, butter, cheese and yoghurt have been found dumped at Paliometocho and Kotsiatis garbage sites following the expired food scandal’s outbreak.
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