Pro Consumidor seizes thousands of counterfeit products

Products were  packaged with labels of recognized brands

 The National Institute for the Protection of Consumer Rights (Pro Consumidor) seized thousands of counterfeit canned goods with labels of recognized brands sold in supermarkets, grocery stores, and warehouses.

The director of the entity, Eddy Alcántara, said that those responsible for this fraudulent practice and attack on the health and safety of consumers would be sent to the Public Ministry to be punished for this “abusive and criminal” practice.

The official explained that the body of inspectors of Pro Consumidor moved to different areas of the Cibao region, mainly in Santiago, where they found a considerable amount of repackaged food products, which put the health of citizens at risk.

“These products were marketed without the proper standard of quality, hygiene, standardization, using labels of recognized brands, thus simulating that they are from the original manufacturer,” he added.

Alcántara indicated that these seizures occurred through inspection operations carried out in different commercial establishments, such as supermarkets, warehouses, and grocery stores, after complaints received by representatives of the affected industries.

“This is a practice that threatens the health and safety of people, in addition to affecting the standardized national productive sector,” he said.

He specified that these counterfeit products did not comply with the minimum safety guarantees for their commercialization, so they violated Law 358-05 on consumer protection.

He announced that those responsible for these illegal acts would be punished preventively and sent to the Public Prosecutor’s Office “to initiate a process of investigation and submission to justice in order to apply a regime of considerable consequence to eradicate this abusive and criminal practice.”

The head of the body that defends the rights of consumers stressed that these operations would continue to be carried out throughout the national territory in an attempt to dismantle this network “that produces and packs these products.”

He asserted that this practice is a serious crime since these canned foods were sold under the commercial names of well-known companies, implying that the consumer trusted the product, as they are brands that have earned respect for operating properly and with all the necessary quality standards.

“The fundamental objective of these operations is to dismantle and definitively eradicate this bad practice, not only in canned products, but all those that are subject to adulteration and falsification of labels and represent risks to the population,” the official finally said.