Food Consumption Patterns Part 2

81
Government vs. Merchant Elite: Who Controls of the Market
Government Regulations, Standards and Quality Control
The incursion described above of low quality manufactured ready-to-eat foods and beverages on
the Haitian popular market has occurred in the context of weak government and the de facto
absence of controls and consumer protection.
Oversight of production and processing of foods and quality control falls under the auspices of the
Ministry of Commerce. In Avis CI/0009 dated February 2010, the ministry reaffirmed that,
Alimentary products should be healthy, appropriately packaged and risk free, meaning
processed, prepared and conserved in hygienic conditions. They should also be accurately
labeled with the following information,
Name of food type
List of all the food ingredients by order of decreasing proportion
Name and address of the manufacturer, conditioner, and distributor
Date of manufacture
Date of expiration
Lot number
In November 2012, with support from EU, MINUSTAH, the German Institution for
Standardization, UNIDO, and the government of Brazil, and more $5 million Euros, MIC officially
inaugurated the Haitian Bureau of Standards (Bureau Haïtien de Normalisation or BHN). The
BHN’s tasks were to devise and implement standards for production and trade in the country, to
train inspectors in applying the standards and enforcing compliance with labeling, quality
certification, and international product standardization. In addition to governing the local market,
the MIC assured the public that "made in Haiti" would “soon be definitely recognized in the
international market.” The undertaking was backed up by a new “Metrology Laboratory” where
products could be tested for compliance with hygiene safety standards.
There are some problems with the claims. Although the Ministry of Commerce boasts a “brigade
of inspectors that strictly applies these laws and punishes non-conformance,” observations on the
ground and from interviews with government officials confirms that in 2014-2015,
BHN, the laboratory, and the Ministry do very little. To quote an official at the Direction
de Controle de Qualite des Produits, “so long as a product doesn’t kill someone it can be
imported and sold on the local market.” 2
Factory samples of locally made products tested are those brought in by the producers
themselves, i.e. they can bring whatever they want to be tested as a sample
Despite the laws: labeling, controls, and inspection are, de facto, non-existent, meaning
that respecting the laws above puts manufacturers at a competitive disadvantage relative to
non-compliant rivals
2
“depi pwodwi ya pap touye moun yo ka enpote'l jan yo vle sou mache ya"