Customs destroy China-made biscuits

PNG Customs yesterday destroyed hundreds of cartons of China-made biscuits which were deemed unfit for human consumption.
The biscuits were seized from a 40-foot container in Lae last Thursday.
PNG Customs Commissioner Gary Juffa said an alarming volume of “dangerous goods” were being imported from mainland China and sold to unsuspecting consumers in the country.
“In this case, the biscuits were manufactured under poor hygienic conditions. Such poor quality products are being dumped into developing countries,” he said.
Mr Juffa took to task the importers for not complying with health regulations and were slapped with a hefty fine.
Northern Region Border Response Unit director Francis Nipuru said: “We are ensuring that harmful products do not reach unsuspecting consumers. Goods that do not list its ingredients will be seized at the border and prevented from entering the market.”
“It is becoming a concern to Customs that a substantial volume of goods coming in are hazardous and dangerous to consumers and the public are urged to report any suspicious product that they come across on the shelves,” Mr Nipuru said.
The PNG Customs research on the retail and wholesale industry has revealed that many legitimate businesses were shutting down, unable to compete with a growing influx of businesses from China which are bringing in cheap and low quality products that are hazardous to human health.
“Such foods are sold in tucker boxes, canteens and even on the street,” he said.