APIA – Members of the public in Samoa have been warned against consuming “fake kava” being sold using local labels.
The warning has come from the director general of the Ministry of Health, Leausa Dr Take Naseri, who confirmed his Ministry has launched an investigation into the issue.
He did not say if the matter has been referred to the police.
But Dr Leausa said they believed the kava could have been imported from either Tonga or Fiji and sold in Samoa using illegal means.
“Someone has been conning locals (with the kava) selling it under a different label,” Dr Leausa said. “We’ve had a complainant that had an allergic reaction to the kava and we are investigating.”
While he declined to elaborate on the details, Dr Leausa warned the kava in question posed health risks and members of the public should double check for the legitimacy of the herb before they purchase it for consumption.
But the revelation has angered one of the biggest kava growers in Samoa, Mau’u Siaosi Puepuemai.
The businessman from Samamea Fagaloa said he was recently approached by customers who were saying the kava from Fagaloa had gone bitter.
“But I know the kava we grow and it’s quality stuff, it is not bitter, it’s the real thing,” he said.
“So I asked this person to bring me the package and when I opened it, I knew right away it wasn’t kava from Fagaloa.”
Mr Mau’u said the kava from Fagaloa was hand mashed while the fake stuff that’s been passed off as genuine Fagaloa kava appeared to have been milled using a machine.
“If you are a kava person like me, you’ll know the difference right away.”
Away from the health risks, Mr Mau’u said he was disturbed that some people had the nerve to use Fagaloa labels to sell the kava.
“Everyone in Samoa knows that the best kava comes from Fagaloa. There is no disputing the fact. So when we hear people say that the kava from Fagaloa is bitter, it’s extremely concerning to us.
“This is why we want to set the record straight.”
Asked if he knew who might have been behind the fake kava, Mr Mau’u said no.
“But I suspect this has been done for several years now in a deliberate attempt to undermine the kava industry in Samoa.”
The businessman questioned how the kava came into the country. If it was done legally, he said it should have gone through Customs where someone would know something.
“But why allow kava to be imported when we’ve got our own,” he said. “I get the feeling that somebody in the know knows something about this and now it has been exposed, it’s time to find out who it is.”
Mr Mau’u added that farmers like himself — and many others — had spent a lot of money and energy to cultivate the herb to make “an honest tala.”
