There was pandemonium at Chicken Inn wholesalers on August 26, 2018, a day or so after an explosive meeting between the Consumer Protection Authority, mayors and the Dikwankwetlha forum in trying to alert the forum of the consequences that could be triggered by unsanctioned infiltrating business premises in search for expired goods.
The forum members went berserk and started searching for expired goods at the wholesaler’s premises. The business owner was not amused and alerted the police. The station commander brigadier Baloyi and his team arrived on time to quell the skirmish. The wholesaler was closed temporarily as the feuding parties had to go to the police station’s boardroom to resolve the ensuing dispute.
This time the police, the inspectorate from the district municipality and Dikwankwetla Forum members again tried to thrash out the centre of controversy. Chaired by Brigadier Baloyi the meeting also raised the risk of forum members being arrested in their pursuit of intruding into businesses sniffing for expired goods.
Forum members claimed that they have been mandated by the community to conduct the exercise as businesses have developed the penchant for not eliminating expired goods from their shelves exposing consumers to hazardous foods. However, the police remained cautioning the forum that the exercise by the organisation was inconsistent with the law and remedial ways had to be found among all parties.
The police suggested that the exercise be conducted in its presence wherever it is to be conducted to merit its legitimacy. The meeting also attended by the district municipality health officials strongly hinted that the forum alone cannot carry out the exercise which needs some element of expertise to avoid haphazard elimination of goods.
The health inspectors also explained that goods labelled best before do not necessarily fall under the expiry bracket except pharmaceutical and cosmetic products. They said that there is a distinction between expiry date and best before hence such technicalities need the requisite know-how.
