Dear Editor,

What is going on here? 

The Director General of Health, Leausa Dr. Take Naseri told the Samoa Observer that under the law, the Health Ministry cannot impose a penalty on a Fijian company that supplied the Farmer’s Style Corned Beef which contained chicken hearts – the chicken hearts were not included on their label and the public were not made aware of. Why not Ministry of Health?

Just last year, PM Tuilaepa and his govt. passed a law to impose penalties up to $100,000 if local food suppliers do not comply with law and the hygienic standards expected from them. And now they’re saying there’s no law to impose a penalty to the corned beef supplier? 

Under the Commerce and Trading Act it clearly states that the contents of these food products must be clearly labeled.  

Also under the Food Act 2015, Part 2 Section 7, False descriptions of food highlights that; 

1) a person must not falsely describe food intended for sale. 

2)  A person must not sell food that the person ought reasonably to know is  falsely described or is likely to cause physical harm to a person who relies on that description 

3) a person who contravenes subsection (1) commits an offence and is liable upon conviction to a fine not exceeding 8,000 penalty units or to imprisonment for a term not  exceeding three (3) years, or both.

Why didn’t the Health Department refer the matter to the appropriate 

Ministry that can impose the penalty on to the Fijian company and the 

local distributor?

Under the consumer Act, it is the responsibility of the distributor to know the contents of the food they are selling. 

This is not the first time this has happened. In recent years, there were plenty of complaints about tinned fish that contained maggots, cigarette butts and other unidentified foreign objects/matters that were considered unhygienic and posed a threat to the health of the general public. 

Nothing was done about those complaints except the govt. made excuses and ignored the complaints.

It appears to me, the response from the Health Ministry leans more towards protecting the distributor and the Fijian Company instead of the health of the people! 

Well, it’s obvious it’s all about profits and money as most of these distributors are the H.R.P.P’s business associates, friends and party supporters.

If there are no laws in this govt to impose penalties to food suppliers/distributors, how then is this stupid govt. able to protect the people from products that will cause them harm? Yet the laws that were supposed  to be passed were to protect the people, to enforce rights and resolve conflicts. Laws prevent people from behaving in a manner that negatively affect the quality of life of other people.

So if none of these protection laws exist in the Health Ministry and other govt ministries, then who is protecting the people of Samoa?

The H.R.P.P have been changing and passing laws to protect their corruption and puppetries instead of passing laws to protect the people from all this rubbish.

Everyone, including the MPs, C.E.Os, Attorney General, Law Society etc, know the Truth but everyone is silent. 

Mebahel Raguel