IN CONVERSATION WITH INNOCENT MOLOI (PARALEGAL)
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South African authorities have stepped up enforcement against the sale of
expired, mislabelled and unsafe food products, sparking a broader
conversation about consumer rights, public health and legal accountability.
Over recent months, the National Consumer Commission (NCC) has taken
action against multiple suppliers after nationwide inspections uncovered
expired dairy, meat, snacks, eggs, noodles and other goods being sold in
stores without clear date markings or proper labelling — contravening the
Consumer Protection Act (CPA). Compliance notices have been issued to
around 45 suppliers, requiring the removal of unsafe products, proper
labelling, visible pricing, and full receipts, with possible fines up to R1
million or 10 % of turnover for persistent violations.
These crackdowns come amid concerns that expired and substandard food not
only violates consumer law, but also poses real health risks to unsuspecting
buyers, especially in rural and peri-urban areas where oversight can be weak.
Calls have also been made for law enforcement and municipal health
inspectors to act more rigorously against shops selling such goods,
particularly after incidents of food poisoning.
At the same time, South Africa has seen unusual cases of ordinary consumers
being charged with criminal conduct in retail settings. In a widely reported
incident, a 59-year-old off-duty police officer was arrested in Mpumalanga
for allegedly adding extra bananas to a bag after they had been weighed and
priced at a supermarket checkout, triggering a shoplifting case. The matter
remains under investigation.
The juxtaposition of enforcement against suppliers on the one hand, and
10:10
criminal allegations against individual shoppers on the other, raises questions
about consumer behaviour, legal thresholds for prosecution, public
understanding of consumer law, and the role of enforcement bodies like the
NCC and Consumer Ombudsman.
expired, mislabelled and unsafe food products, sparking a broader
conversation about consumer rights, public health and legal accountability.
Over recent months, the National Consumer Commission (NCC) has taken
action against multiple suppliers after nationwide inspections uncovered
expired dairy, meat, snacks, eggs, noodles and other goods being sold in
stores without clear date markings or proper labelling — contravening the
Consumer Protection Act (CPA). Compliance notices have been issued to
around 45 suppliers, requiring the removal of unsafe products, proper
labelling, visible pricing, and full receipts, with possible fines up to R1
million or 10 % of turnover for persistent violations.
These crackdowns come amid concerns that expired and substandard food not
only violates consumer law, but also poses real health risks to unsuspecting
buyers, especially in rural and peri-urban areas where oversight can be weak.
Calls have also been made for law enforcement and municipal health
inspectors to act more rigorously against shops selling such goods,
particularly after incidents of food poisoning.
At the same time, South Africa has seen unusual cases of ordinary consumers
being charged with criminal conduct in retail settings. In a widely reported
incident, a 59-year-old off-duty police officer was arrested in Mpumalanga
for allegedly adding extra bananas to a bag after they had been weighed and
priced at a supermarket checkout, triggering a shoplifting case. The matter
remains under investigation.
The juxtaposition of enforcement against suppliers on the one hand, and
10:10
criminal allegations against individual shoppers on the other, raises questions
about consumer behaviour, legal thresholds for prosecution, public
understanding of consumer law, and the role of enforcement bodies like the
NCC and Consumer Ombudsman.
