Samoans must learn Chinese and Japanese before they purchase food products from these countries.
That was the advice from the Minister of Health, Tuitama Dr. Leao Tuitama, to Parliament on Tuesday night.
“The duty of the member of the public is to find out what’s in the can,” he said.
“Why would you buy something if you’re unsure about its content?
“It means they should learn Chinese or Japanese first, then come have a look at the can so they can understand what’s in a can.”
The Minister made the comment in response to questions raised when the National Kidney Foundation of Samoa Amendment Bill 2013 was debated.
One of them came from Gagaemauga No. 2 M.P., Levaopolo Talatonu, who questioned the availability of products, especially canned food, with no English labels.
“The Minister should look at canned foods, especially from Asia,” said Levao.
“In most cases, there are no English labels whereby members of the public can determine what they are eating.” But Tuitama said it was not the Ministry of Health’s job to check the labels.
“That is the responsibility of the consumer,” he said.
“Why would you buy a can if there is no label? How would you know that what’s in a can of herring is what you are supposed to eat?” Levaopolo objected. “Mr Speaker, I did not say that there are cans with no labels,” he said.
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“Maybe it’s because the Minister has aged but what I was talking about are the cans where the labels are all in Chinese.
“That’s why I made a simple request to look at ways whereby members of the public are aware about the content of these cans so they will be sure that they are edible, and not expired.”
Levao also questioned the Minister’s claim that it is not the responsibility of the Ministry to look at the labels.
“Then whose responsibility is it?
Whose job is it to assess the quality of the food being consumed by members of the public?”
Tuitama told Parliament that a law already exists to govern this.
“It is illegal to sell cans without labels,” he said.
“The labels must state clearly the date during which it was produced and the expiry date. All these things are covered in the law we’ve passed.
“So you ask the question of whose responsibility is it, (the answer is) we’ve already done the job.”
But Levaopolo was not satisfied. Said he: “Mr. Speaker, the Minister is very good with theory but when it comes to the practical side, he is no good. That’s what I can see with this Minister.”
Speaker La’auli Leuatea Polata’ivao told Levaopolo to calm down. But deputy Prime Minister, Fonotoe Pierre Lauofo, took the floor.
“I want to offer some help in this matter,” he said. “For the information of the member, we’ve already passed (a law) about what we call labelling standards. They are available.
“What was mentioned by the Minister (of Health) has also been re-enforced in that law. So those labelling standards contain everything you’ve spoken about.
“They explain everything that is in the can.”
According to Minister Tuitama, the Ministry of Health stands ready to assist any member of the public who has a problem.
“If they buy the can and find that what’s on the label is not what the can contains, it is the duty of the customer to report it to the relevant authorities,” he said.
“If it's a product that has made someone sick, then that is the Ministry’s job to remove these products whether its meat from an animal or the meat of a potato.”
The National Kidney Foundation of Samoa Amendment Bill 2013 was passed.
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