Health Store in Washington Mall has been concluded as quickly as it began.

According to Chief Environmental Health Officer Mrs. Estlyn Harvey, an inspector was dispatched to The Health Store on Monday morning to look into a Southampton man's allegations that the store was selling malted brown flour over two years after the printed expiry date.

In a letter to The Royal Gazette , the complainant, Mr. John Rowlerson, also claimed that the store had covered the practice up by obscuring the dates with a black marker. A visit to the store by The Royal Gazette last week found a bag of the flour with a blacked-out expiry date.

Contrary to an official at the Consumer Affairs Bureau who said she forwarded Mr. Rowlerson's complaint to Environmental Health in March, however, Mrs.

Harvey claimed her office had no knowledge of the matter until last Friday, when The Royal Gazette made an inquiry.

Normally, investigations are conducted within 24 hours of a complaint, Mrs.

Harvey said.

As soon as Environmental Health did find out, she said, an inspector was sent to the store. By then, there were no bags left to inspect and the investigation was concluded.

"I am confident that he (the inspector) carried it out properly,'' Mrs.

Harvey said.