Tempering of Expiry Dates Must Cease Immediately

June 17, 2022

A prominent supermarket in Nausori town has been found retailing expired and products with tempered expiry dates during routine market surveillance by the Consumer Council of Fiji.

The supermarket in question was retailing wafers biscuit at a price of $1. However, when inspected, the expiry date for the product could not be discovered. Initial investigations have revealed that the supermarket used chemicals to intentionally temper with the expiry dates.

The CCoF Chief Executive Officer Ms Seema Shandil says that the Council is stumped with the blatant disregard of food safety laws by the supermarket and the sheer negligence being exhibited just for the sake of making a profit.

“Food and drinks have expiry dates for a purpose – which is to ensure that it is safe for consumption. However, the supermarket in question does not seem to care about the repercussions of their actions on consumers’ health. Such supermarkets need to get their act straight and adhere to laws in place,” said Ms Shandil.

There is no acceptable excuse for having expired products on supermarket shelves and internal procedures must be put in place by supermarkets to ensure this never eventuates. However, what is even more concerning for the Council is that this is being done deliberately and the only deterrence which can now work is dishing out of the maximum fines by relevant authorities.

“We have flagged this case to the Nausori Town Council and Ministry of Health and Medical Services and expect stringent actions to ensure consumers right to safety is held paramount. We are well past issuing warnings after warning – we are demanding for immediate action,” added Ms Shandil.

The Council is urging consumers to always check product expiry dates before placing it in their shopping carts and if they come across expired products or products with tempered expiry dates, report the matter immediately by dialing 155.