Minister vows action against out-of-date, contaminated foods
Action has been and will continue to be taken to prevent the sale of out-of-date and contaminated foods as well as the provision of unfair services that continue to surface, a minister told the National Assembly recently. Minister of Industry and Commerce, Ms Khemmani Pholsena, warned those involved that they would face penalties in line with the relevant laws as she detailed measures to address the issues that continue to be reported. Expired food items worth more than 324.2 million kip were confiscated and destroyed in the provinces of Luang Namtha, Xieng Khuang, Khammuan, Vientiane and Saravan in the 2015-16 fiscal year, the minister told the Assembly’s ongoing ordinary session. She was responding to questions raised by members of the NA, who expressed concerns over reports suggesting that expired and contaminated foods were still being sold in markets throughout the country along with fake goods. In the 2014-15 fiscal year, out-of-date food items with a sale value of as much as 2.4 billion kip was confiscated and destroyed. Officials also seized a number of imitation silk skirts imported from China, the minister said.
