HARARE – ZIMBABWE has stepped up efforts to stamp out the selling of counterfeit products in the market, amid fears they expose consumers to health risks.
During a routine inspection exercise in downtown Harare this Tuesday, a number of tuck shops were found with fake products, including mealie meal packages in large quantities.
Inspectors from the Consumer Protection Commission and the Trade Measures Department under the Ministry of Industry and Commerce were accompanied by the members of the Zimbabwe Republic Police to investigate the fake products after whistle-blowers had contacted them.
“This is the fake Pearlenta which is not even our product you can see all the features of the commodity do not tally with our prescribed trade or logo features meaning that there is something being done in terms of what they ate doing here now the next step is to look at the contents or what is inside after realising or discovering wrong packaging,” Quality Assurance Supervisor for National Foods Limited, Mr Nyasha Mudita said.
“The exercise is on-going and we are calling on members of the public to be vigilant when doing grocery shopping as most of these products have fake logos or trademarks,” Research and Public Affairs Department for the Consumer Protection Commission, Mr Tom Muleya said.
“What we have seen today is an act of illicit deals to the detriment of the consumers so going forward we call on the retailers and consumers to be vigilant of the goods they buy or trade so that they are not found as victims on the wrong side of the law,” Regional Inspector of Trade Measures for Harare Metropolitan, Mr Tawedzerwa Muwani said.
The fake products have since been confiscated and handed over to the police for further investigations.
