NCC cracks down on 45 suppliers for selling expired, mislabelled goods - noodles, meat and biscuits

The National Consumer Commission (NCC) has issued Compliance Notices to 45 suppliers across South Africa for contravening the Consumer Protection Act (CPA), following inspections that uncovered the sale of expired, spoiled, and mislabelled food products.

The Commission said the action came after a series of inspections across the country. “This follows a series of nationwide compliance and monitoring inspections to ascertain compliance with the provisions of the CPA,” said NCC spokesperson Phetho Ntaba.

According to the NCC, the inspections revealed that suppliers were selling dairy products, meat, maize meal, eggs, snacks, biscuits, and noodles that were expired or had no expiry or best-before dates. “This violates Section 55(2) of the CPA, which guarantees consumers the right to safe, usable and good quality goods,” said Ntaba. “Date markings assist consumers in determining the shelf life and safety of the products before making any purchase.”

Some suppliers were also found selling products like boerewors and chicken pieces without proper labelling. “This contravenes Section 24 of the CPA,” Ntaba explained. “Failure to label goods in accordance with the CPA is a contravention of section 24, read with regulation 6 of the CPA.”

In addition, the Commission found that some goods, particularly in rural and peri-urban areas, were displayed without visible prices. “This violates Section 23(3), which requires all goods for sale to have prices on them or adjacent to them to ensure transparency of the pricing and consumer choice,” said Ntaba.

Another key concern was the failure of suppliers to issue complete sales records or receipts. “Suppliers of goods and services must issue sales records for every transaction made by consumers,” Ntaba said. “The sales record must include the supplier’s name and address, product description, quantity, price and total amount paid by the consumer, including VAT.”

The suppliers have been instructed to remove and destroy non-compliant goods, label all products correctly, ensure prices are displayed, and issue full receipts. “Affected suppliers have been instructed to remedy non-compliance,” Ntaba confirmed.

Should businesses fail to comply with the Compliance Notices, Ntaba warned, “The NCC may escalate the matter to the National Consumer Tribunal. The Tribunal may impose an administrative fine of up to R1 million or 10% of the supplier’s annual turnover.”

THE MERCURY