In defense of public health, economic agents who sell products without labels in Portuguese will be sanctioned with fines and even the revocation of operating licenses, the National Inspectorate of Economic Activities (INAE) warned today in Maputo. 

INAE's Inspector General, Rita Freitas, explained that the first fine will be a total of 40 minimum wages, or 350,320 meticais; the second will be double 700,640 meticais; the third will be quadruple, or 1,401,280 meticais.

"If after this situation he [the economic agent] continues, we will ask the licensing authority to withdraw the license," he said.

Legislation banning the entry and circulation of information in Portuguese on national territory was passed several years ago. And, according to Freitas, the time has come to put a stop to the successive postponements of the law's implementation.

In fact, this Tuesday it will begin inspecting food, drink and pharmaceutical products without labeling and information in Portuguese.

INAE also warns importers to submit a labeling proposal to the National Institute for Standardization and Quality (INNOQ) and the Ministry of Health for approval and to submit it to manufacturers abroad so that they include Portuguese on their product labels.