The Ministry of Commerce’s Cambodia Import-Export Inspection and Fraud Repression Directorate-General (Camcontrol) officials in Svay Rieng and Battambang on Monday confiscated over 100kg of expired goods in various places.
The police are preparing to burn the seized products.
Svay Rieng provincial Camcontrol deputy director Man Sokhorn told The Post on Tuesday that on Monday his authorities cooperated with provincial Department of Commerce officials and territorial authorities to inspect food products at a retail market in Svay Chrum district’s Donsa commune.
During the operation, the authorities found unsuitable and expired goods including 15 large packages of shrimp cakes, five large packages of coffee, 200 packages of Banh Trang cakes, 100 large bottles of Coca-Cola, three boxes of noodles, 25 packages of meatballs, two large boxes of dried beef, 30 large packages of dried powder and 50kg of various cakes, he said.
Sokohorn said authorities taught the retailers about safe food management techniques to prevent health problems, he added.
“I call on citizens to cooperate with the authorities and report anything suspicious about foods they are buying,” he said.
In a similar case, Battambang Camcontrol officials confiscated about 43kg of goods with fake logos and expired dates after expert authorities inspected food retailers at Thma Koul and Damnak Sdao markets in Ratanak Mondol district.
Battambang provincial Camcontrol department director Hak Sokrin told The Post on Tuesday that the operation was a joint effort with Ministry of Commerce officials and market committees to prevent fake and expired products from being sold in markets.
Authorities tested foods including Chinese noodles, meatballs, octopus sausages, raw octopuses and raw prawns for chemical substances that can affect public health. They also checked the food’s packaging to ensure it met safety standards.
The officials found 36kg of green tea, 6kg of soy sauce and 1kg of coconut powder, all of which were not suitable for sale, Sokrin said.
“Our authorities wrote the report and plan to burn the goods. They taught other sellers about good food management and avoiding practices that could harm public health,” he added.
