The Inspection and Monitoring Authority for Economic, Sanitation, and Food Activity (AIFAESA) has registered 701 companies for committing infractions from 2017 until July 2018.
The chief of operations of AIFAESA, Alfonsius Costa Akoyt, said in 2017 alone AIFAESA was able to register 511 infractions, and another 190 so far in 2018.
Out of the 701 companies, he said, 687 have already been referred for judicial review while others have been able to submit their complete documentation.
He said decree law no. 23/2009 on administrative offences allows AIFAESA to impose sanctions to companies in breach of regulations including selling expired goods or contaminated food items.
He added fines applied depend on the type of infraction but the lowest fine is $1,000.
“Infractions include expired goods, operating without a license, operating not according to the terms of the license, for example operating a restaurant with a license to sell clothes, contaminated food, and damaged food,” he said from his office in Matadouro, Dili.
He added almost 200 companies have committed infractions for trading in expired items, followed by companies trading without an appropriate license and that many companies use one license to operate two different businesses.
AIFAESA does not yet inspect local markets and street vendors due to their large number but if the public has any concerns about food quality they should report this to AIFAESA.
In 2017 AIFAESA collected $120,000 in revenue and another $80,000 from January to July 2018 for the State.
He said AIFAESA has also seized goods including tobacco, beverages, and different types of food and that they are currently stored in a warehouse for subsequent disposal.
On the other hand, the executive director of the National Laboratory, Ismael Barreto, said they have good cooperation with AIFAESA with food quality testing.
He said recently there was a case of fish poisoning in the capital Dili so he urged the government to establish better coordination to prevent these situations from happening again.
“AIFAESA’s role is to conduct inspections and go after companies selling expired foods. Our role if to determine the causes and effects of pathological reactions,” he said.
He said food, including fish can cause poisoning with an adverse reaction such as vomiting, itchiness, diarrhea and other symptoms.
He added that some foods should be preserved to not harm people who consume it.
He urged AIFAESA to provide education and socialization about mechanisms of food preservation to food suppliers.
