Regular inspections can curb non-compliance

Mmegi Editor | Friday January 15, 2016 11:19

The officers shut down the stores so that they sort themselves out and comply.

During the inspections, the officers also found that some stores were selling expired goods to their unsuspecting customers, some of whom may end up in hospital upon consuming the food. It is common to find expired foods occupying shelves and waiting for customers to pick them. 

With some customers being semi-literate and others hardly observing expiry dates on the goods they are purchasing, it is possible that many have consumed these expired good unaware. It would not be wrong to link the expired food to strange sicknesses and conditions that people develop, such as skin problems, mental health problems and other physical conditions that medical professionals struggle with.

Some people have become greedy and hungry for riches to a point where they will do anything to get money, including using hazardous ingredients to increase or multiply the volume of their products.

It is against this backdrop that we call on the Gaborone City Council and other local authorities to intensify their inspections to ensure public safety. With effects of globalisation allowing movement of goods from one continent to another, it is important that border controls are also tightened to weed out hazardous goods from our shores.

But all these can be achieved only when we have a strong legislation that protects the consumer, such that any trader who displays expired goods on their shelves for sale may face heavy penalties that include hefty fines or forfeiting their trading licence. This can be applied through a point system, which will confirm whether the trader is a first or habitual offender. The Ministry of Trade and Industry, which houses the Consumer Protection Unit should also be proactive and be available to take action when consumers lodge complaints at their offices.

Many countries are protective of their citizens and have made it difficult to import any food items or fruits and vegetables without a trading licence or known history of the imported goods. In other countries it is also an offence to display hazardous items for sale to consumers, goods, which have surpassed their expiry date.

Maybe it is time we establish a Food Safety Control Authority that will compliment local authorities after being empowered to take action against traders who pose health risk to public health. No person should be sold expired food irrespective of their circumstances.

Today’s thought

“It is illegal to give someone food in which has been found a dead mouse or weasel.” 

-Ancient Irish law