Expired goods confiscated by South Sudan National Bureau of Standards [SSNBS] Photo credit: SSNBS

The South Sudan National Bureau of Standards says it has sent back two trucks carrying sorghum and maize flour that were found to be infested with live insects after intercepting them at the Nimule Border point on Monday.

In a statement issued on its official Facebook page, the quality assurance agency said it discovered the food items contained live insects after conducting laboratory tests.

The bureau said the trucks were intercepted at the Nimule border point and later returned to their country of origin.

“On 16 June 2025, our team at the Port of Entry in Nimule intercepted and re-exported two trucks carrying sorghum and maize flour after the products failed to meet safety and quality requirements. Laboratory tests revealed the presence of live insects, making the goods unsafe for human consumption. As such, the trucks were sent back to their country of origin,” read in part the statement.

In a separate operation, the bureau said it also seized expired goods from several markets in Wau town, Western Bahr el Ghazal, during inspections carried out on Monday afternoon.

“Meanwhile, in Western Bahr El Ghazal, our Market Surveillance Team carried out inspections in several markets—Boro Medina, Raja Market, Koro Market, and Yabolo Market,” the statement said.

“During these inspections, a number of expired and counterfeit food items were found and confiscated to prevent them from reaching consumers,” it added.

This is not the first time the agency has re-exported trucks carrying poor quality goods.

In May, the Standards Bureau returned to Uganda after their consignments were found to contain substandard laundry soap and contaminated maize flour.

The goods had failed to meet national quality and safety standards.

In January last year, it confiscated 17 commercial trucks carrying substandard and smuggled goods destined for Juba from Nimule town and Nesitu checkpoint.

According to the then Bureau’s chairperson, Dr Kuorwel Kuai Kuorwel the suppliers of goods had purchased them from Brazil, India, the United Arab Emirates and Vietnam.

The bureau is now warning the public to be careful when buying food items and to avoid consuming substandard products, saying they can pose serious health risks.