Egypt: consumer watchdog seizes 6.5 tonnes of herring and expired cosmetics

Egypt’s Consumer Protection Agency seized around 6.5 tonnes of herring judged unfit for human consumption and some 1,500 expired medical and cosmetic products, following inspection campaigns in the governorates of Qalyubia and Gharbia, the agency said on Thursday.

In Qalyubia, the agency’s regional branch raided a business selling and distributing expired medical supplies and cosmetics bearing incorrect technical information, in breach of the rules governing trade in such goods. Inspectors confiscated hand sanitiser glycerine, bottles of alcohol, face and skin creams, cosmetics and personal care products.

The agency noted that selling expired or mislabelled products makes it impossible to verify their safety, ingredients and fitness for use, and misleads buyers. Legal action followed, and the case was sent to the public prosecution.

Two unlicensed facilities in Gharbia were shut down by the regional branch. They had processed and sold herring of unknown origin under fictitious names and trademarks with no identifiable legal entity behind them. Inspectors found the sites lacked even basic health and safety standards.

A visual examination showed the confiscated fish was unfit to eat. That case, too, was referred to prosecutors.

Ibrahim al-Sayyini, head of the agency, said it would deal firmly with every form of commercial fraud and data manipulation that misleads consumers or endangers their health. He added that inspections would be stepped up and extended along the entire supply chain, down to production and storage sites, continuing across all governorates to keep non-compliant goods off the market.