The National Institute for Standardisation and Quality (INNOQ) said on Thursday 8 February that it may withdraw from the market all imported products that do not have a label in Portuguese.
According to the institute’s director-general, Geraldo Albazine, the measure is part of the government’s efforts to implement the Conformity Assessment Programme (PAC), which aims to control products sold in Mozambique.
“We see that there is still a lack of translation of descriptive information, especially on imported products. This action creates constraints for the consumer, which could lead to the withdrawal of all these products,” he explained.
He clarified that labelling in Portuguese is important because it is a communication mechanism that includes data that “helps consumers make a proper choice of their product”.
“Awareness-raising work is underway and should be intensified through campaigns to maximise the reach of the message. However, we would once again like to appeal to entrepreneurs to continue working with INNOQ to rectify the situation,” he added.
Geraldo Albazine also explained that, under the terms of the legislation in force, the contents of the labels must first be approved by INNOQ, thus guaranteeing their compliance with the regulation.
The PAC came into force last year and is being implemented in partnership with Intertek Mozambique, with the central aim of preventing the circulation of products that do not conform to the safety and quality standards required by regional and international norms.
