Ministry of Health Conducts Product Inspections

Last week, the Ministry of Health of the State of Guanajuato (SSG) conducted inspections in a host of factories and retail stores across Guanajuato. The mission was to review manufacturing processes and in particular, the expiry dates of products being sold.
These actions fall under the ministry’s program to monitor and impose health controls on establishments that produce and sell perishable goods.
In response to a report that was made in León with reference to the selling of unlabelled canned goods, government representatives paid a special visit to the retail store in question and to the factory that provides its merchandise. During the first health inspection, it was revealed that close to 100 cans of corn and 300 cans of chili peppers on display were not only without labels, they were covered in rust and indentations.
Immediately following, inspectors proceeded to the supplier’s premises and detected serious irregularities: the water used during the manufacturing process was not purified, the refrigerators lacked thermometers to gage ideal cooling temperatures, cleaning procedures for the equipment, facilities and transport vehicles were omitted and quality controls to remove from the market any product batches that presented health risks for consumers were completely overlooked. Consequently, close 50,000 cans were seized and further investigation is pending.
In the same vein, the health ministry conducted evaluations of pharmacies, including branches of Farmacias ABC de México in Irapuato, to ensure that these businesses adhere to health standards. An inventory was taken of their prescription drug stocks and the authorities appropriated 150 boxes of expired prescription medications, which had not been set aside and clearly marked as not fit for sale.
Establishments that market specialized products for the agricultural industry, such as fertilizers and pesticides, were also scrutinized. Between two businesses located in Péngamo and Dolores Hidalgo, over 100 tons of solid fertilizers, 100 liters of liquid fertilizers and a total of close to 900 liters of pesticides were confiscated.
State Health Minister Francisco Ortiz Aldana underlines that the government controls food products, beverages, chemical products and medications sold within the state in order to protect consumers from potential health risks. But at the same time, he calls upon the general public to help in this effort by taking precautionary measures and reporting any incidents of negligence with respect to the production or sale of perishable items to the local authorities