The suppliers of kava described by the authorities as “con kava” have been let off the hook with a warning.
But they will not be so lucky next time.
Speaking to the Samoa Observer, the Assistant Chief Executive Officer of the Health Prevention and Environment Division, Seve Sinei Fili, said members of the public should take the decision as a warning.
“Following our investigation, we have decided to warn them,” said Seve.
“We have written to them, informing them they cannot sell kava unless they meet the requirements."
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“From the investigation, there is no scientific evidence that the kava is harmful but our issue is the misleading of information.”
Last month, members of the public who consume kava were warned that what had been found as “fake kava” sold using local labels could lead to health problems.
At the time, the Director General of the Ministry of Health, Leausa Dr. Take Naseri, confirmed that his Ministry had launched an investigation into the issue.
“Someone has been conning locals (with the ava) selling it under a different label,” Leausa said.
“We’ve had a complainant that had an allergic reaction to the kava and we are investigating.”
Seve said the investigation has ended and they found that the supplier did not really understand the law. He did not elaborate.
The business involved, registered under the name of Sale Mataia, is run by an Indo-Fijian couple. The investigation found the kava, which was imported from Fiji, was sold under several different labels, including Kava Tonga.
The Ministry of Health also found the business had not met labeling requirements by not giving information about who owns the kava, its weight and other important information.
The A.C.E.O pointed out that while the family disputed that they supplied the four different labels of kava, their investigation points to the one conclusion and that is all the different labels came from one place.
Asked if the business had a license, Seve said yes and confirmed that it was issued by the Ministry of Revenue.
He explained that the family had applied for the license to trade kava years before a Memorandum of Understanding was signed by Revenue and Health.
“The M.O.U was signed two years ago while the family had their licensed issued four years ago,” he said.
“The M.O.U with the Ministry of Revenue means all applicants for licenses that involve food and beverages have to come through the Ministry of Health for inspection and then we assess whether they meet requirement."
“In this case the license was given by Revenue (prior to the M.O.U) and it is why we are not aware of the license.”
A senior staff from the Ministry of Revenue, who is not authorised to speak to the media, confirmed the license was issued by them under the name of Sale Mataia in 2012, 2013 and 2014.
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