The National Institute for Standardization and Quality (INNOQ) will start charging 2500 meticais for the correction of product labels requested by economic agents in Mozambique. This information was released by the director-general of INNOQ, Geraldo Albazine, at a press conference on the Ban on the Import and Marketing of Products without a Portuguese Label.
Until now, the correction of labels by INNOQ was free of charge, but from this year there will be a charge. The 2500 meticais is a one-off fee for approving product labels. According to Albazine, 4651 labels were submitted for approval, of which 2580 were approved and 2071 were disapproved.
Rejection means that the label is returned with the necessary corrections for the economic agent to make and send back to INNOQ for final approval. Only after this approval can the labels be printed in large quantities for placing on the market.
INNOQ has been working in recent years to ensure that all products imported into the country are labeled in the official language, Portuguese. The institute is collaborating with the Ministry of Health (MISAU) and the National Inspectorate of Economic Activities (INAE) to ensure that the entry and circulation of food, pharmaceutical and other products in the country is monitored, with the issue of labeling observed.
Requirements such as the name, composition and origin of the product, expiry date and storage conditions must appear on the labels, and for registered products, their registration number must also appear, indicating that they have been certified by the MoH to circulate on the national market.
The legislation banning the entry and circulation of products without information in Portuguese has been in place for over 18 years, with the aim of promoting and protecting public health.
