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CAA warns consumers: Don’t fall for expired products in new packaging
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The Consumer Affairs Authority has warned the public to be vigilant after detecting a high number of cases where traders have sold adulterated spices and outdated food in new packaging.
CAA Chairman Shantha Niriella said the CAA had set up a new unit to crack down on traders who resorted to unscrupulous methods to make profits at the expense of the people’s health.
He said the move followed public complaints, tipoffs, and surveillance reports.
According to the chairman, the CAA has conducted 13,493 raids in the first six months of this year and earned an income of Rs. 132.6 million through fines. In recent weeks, the CAA has conducted 20 major raids.
In one such raid earlier this month on a warehouse in Hendala, Wattala, CAA officers detected 50,000 cans of contaminated fish and mushrooms. They also found a large amount of outdated Basmati rice ready to be repackaged into new bags.
The warehouse was sealed while legal action was taken against the trader.
In a major raid on a Ja-ela warehouse, CAA officers caught traders mixing expired margarine with fresh products.
“Complaints of expired products being repackaged at warehouses have to be taken seriously. If there is evidence of fraud, samples will be sent to the Government analyst, and the warehouses will be sealed,” the chairman said.
Recently, a raid on a warehouse in Sedawatte revealed that wheat flour was being mixed with chilli and turmeric powder. The adulterated spices were to be sold in bulk, he said.
In another raid following a tipoff, CAA officers together with Special Task Force personnel raided a Kalmunai store and confiscated more than 8,000 kilograms of contaminated coriander seeds and powder.
Mr. Niriella said in raids conducted this week in Pettah and Fort, several traders were taken to court for not displaying the prices of goods in keeping with the law.
The Sedawatte warehouse where the CAA officers found wheat flour was being added to chilli powder and other spices to be sold in bulk to traders
During the raid, the authorities discovered that a trader had been packing potatoes that were unfit for human consumption into bags to be sold to restaurants. He had been cutting off the rotten parts of the potatoes before putting them in the bags.
The Public Health Inspectors Union’s president, Upul Rohana, said people need to be vigilant when buying packeted spices, canned food, sweets, and sauces.
Even imported rice should be bought after careful examination, he said, referring to the raids that unearthed the racket of outdated Basmati being repackaged in new bags.
He said one of the causes of the repackaging racket was the dollar crisis, which delayed the clearance of containers with imported food items.
Mr. Rohana said public health inspectors recently raided shops preparing tea with outdated condensed milk and tea refuse.
“Traders are using all sorts of methods to keep prices low for consumers,” he said.
According to Mr. Rohana, street food stalls operating at night posed a serious health risk, but the PHIs had to reduce their night inspections because of the low fuel budget and slow approval process.
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