The Consumer Council of Fiji is issuing a stern reminder to supermarkets and other stores that the use of Julian code as date marking for food products is not permitted under Fiji’s Food Safety Act and Regulations.

The Council says, despite raising alert on the same issue in 2019, the latest string of market surveillance has revealed certain supermarkets in the Central, Western and Northern Division were still found retailing food products such as canned fruits and candies which had Julian coding istead of the required ‘best before’ or ‘expiry’ date. 

The Julian code date system uses a coded numerical sequence for determining the expiry date which is unlikely to be understood by an ordinary consumer under normal conditions of purchase.

Chief Executive Officer, Seema Shandil says, the Council is taking this stance against the use of Julian coding in the market as consumers may not be able to decode and determine the expiry dates of products. 

The Council has also discovered that certain supermarkets have the understanding that they can retail products with Julian coding if they decode it themselves and display the expiry or shelf life.

Consumers who come across supermarkets retailing products with Julian coding are 

encouraged to contact the Council on the toll-free number 155.