CCPC intensifies inspections in Isoka

The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) has intensified inspections of business premises in Isoka District of Muchinga Province to ensure traders comply with consumer protection and competition laws. The inspections are aimed at assessing compliance levels among…

The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) has intensified inspections of business premises in Isoka District of Muchinga Province to ensure traders comply with consumer protection and competition laws.

The inspections are aimed at assessing compliance levels among traders and removing expired and non-compliant products from the market to protect consumers.

Speaking in an interview with the media after an inspection in Isoka, CCPC Investigator Mutumbi Malate said the Commission has a dual mandate of protecting consumers and promoting fair competition among businesses.

Mr Malate said the CCPC is mandated to protect consumers from unfair trading practices while promoting a competitive business environment.

He said the inspections were also aimed at ensuring that businesses comply with the requirements of the Competition and Consumer Protection Act.

And CCPC Investigator Josphet Mutale said the inspection team had seized assorted goods that did not meet the required standards.

Mr Mutale said the seized goods would be disposed of to prevent them from finding their way back onto the market.

“We are carrying out inspections, checking the levels of compliance among businessmen here in Isoka. Behind, you can see these are the goods that we have seized. We are going to dispose of them,” he said.

Mr Mutale urged traders to regularly check the expiry dates of products before putting them on sale.

He also advised consumers to check product labels before purchasing goods, particularly to ensure that products carry the required information and are labelled in English.

“Whenever you are having products, you should be constantly checking expiry dates. You should also ensure that you are buying something that is labelled in English,” Mr Mutale said.

He warned that products that do not meet the required labelling standards could be confiscated by the Commission.

“If it’s not labelled in English, we confiscate,” he said.

The CCPC consumer protection function includes inspecting trading premises and removing expired, defective and improperly labelled products from the market.

Under Section 50 of the Competition and Consumer Protection Act, products sold in Zambia are required to carry key information, including the product name, ingredients, manufacture and expiry dates, manufacturer details and other relevant information.