Prohibiting of Ancient County Milk now before court

Director of the Food and Drug Department, Marlan Cole has been ordered to show cause why his prohibition of Ancient County Full Cream Evaporated Milk shouldn’t be quashed.

An Order or Rule Nisi of Certiorari was issued yesterday by Justice Dawn Gregory to Cole in relation to his January 19, 2017 decision to prohibit the milk.

The matter is fixed for hearing on April 28th. The action against Cole is the latest in a series that have challenged decisions he has made to prohibit imports for non- compliance with the Food and Drug Act and its regulations.

In his affidavit in support of the action, New Amsterdam businessman Ramanand Sripal of J’s Supermarket said that during the last 30 years of his retailing and wholesaling of milk he had never had an adverse report in relation to the constitution, quality or ingredients of these products from the Government Analyst-Food and Drug Department or any other agency.

He swore that since March, 2016 he had entered into an arrangement with Gloria S.A. the manufacturers of Gloria Milk, Lima, Peru to distribute some of their products here.

From March 2016 to December 2016, Sripal averred that he imported 14 containers of Ancient Country and sold same throughout Guyana.

He said it was not until January, 2017 he received correspondence from Cole saying that Ancient County was found to be adulterated with Soy Lecithin as an emulsifier in contravention of the Guyana Food and Drug Regulation of 1977.

Sripal disputes Cole’s ruling on Soy Lecithin.