The South Sudan National Bureau of Standards (SSNBS) has commended Juba County authorities for arresting eight employees of H Brothers General Trading and Investment Company Limited over allegations of repackaging expired maize flour for resale in Gumbo, Jub
In a statement issued on October 25, the standards body praised the authorities for their swift action and urged businesses to comply with food safety regulations to protect consumers.
The arrests followed an operation at the company’s premises on Saturday, during which county authorities alleged that security personnel found employees transferring expired maize flour into new sacks for resale.
According to a statement from the Office of the Caretaker Commissioner, the company’s storage facilities were subsequently closed, and the eight employees were detained pending further legal proceedings.
However, a company manager has disputed the allegations, insisting that the products in question were unexpired wheat flour rather than maize flour.
Speaking to Eye Radio, the manager, who requested anonymity because the matter remains under investigation, said security personnel raided the company’s stores at night and took eight employees into custody.
The manager also questioned the evidence presented by the authorities, saying videos recorded during the operation did not clearly show the products’ expiry dates.
He described the activity at the stores as a routine inspection of food products that may have been affected by heat during storage.
According to the manager, the products had previously been inspected by the SSNBS, and the company had received an inspection certificate concerning goods affected by heat that needed to be separated from other food products.
He urged the public to wait for the outcome of the investigation, saying the relevant standards and trade authorities should establish the facts surrounding the incident.
In its statement, the SSNBS emphasized that businesses handling food products must comply with applicable standards and regulatory requirements.
“All businesses involved in the production, processing, packaging, distribution and sale of food products must uphold applicable standards and regulatory requirements,” the Bureau said.
The standards body also urged traders to improve stock management and ensure expired goods are kept away from products intended for sale.
The Bureau encouraged businesses to “maintain proper stock management systems, regularly inspect expiry dates, segregate expired products from goods intended for sale” and dispose of non-compliant products according to applicable requirements.
The SSNBS further called on county authorities, public health institutions and law enforcement agencies to strengthen cooperation in market surveillance and enforcement.
“Such collaboration is essential to identify unsafe products, prevent their circulation and ensure that businesses comply with the law,” the statement said.
The Bureau also urged consumers to check product labels and expiry dates before purchasing food and to report suspected cases of expired or unsafe goods to the relevant authorities.
Reaffirming its commitment to consumer protection, the SSNBS said: “Consumer protection is a shared responsibility.”
It added that businesses should prioritize public safety, reiterating its call for traders to “put consumer safety before profit.”
The allegations against H Brothers and its employees have not been independently verified. The outcome of the investigation, including the type and condition of the products involved, remains unclear.
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