The Consumer Affairs Authority ( CAA) has stepped up raids on outlets selling consumer items, in popular demand, during the festive season.
Director General, CAA, A.K.D.D. Arandara told the Sunday Observer that the raids would be conducted island-wide and were aimed at ensuring that Christmas and New Year shoppers, who purchased gifts and clothes at discounted prices at shopping outlets were provided with safe goods which carried proper labels and warranty cards.
“We have deployed 25 officers in all districts and 250 officers in the field from September to conduct sudden raids on all gift stores as our aim is to make this a safe Christmas and New Year for all. We will continue this program till January end in addition to our normal raids,” he said.
Arandara said in the case of electrical items, such as blenders, washing machines, irons, computers and lighting sets used to light up Christmas trees, the CAA officers would be specially looking at whether the consumers were given warranty cards for at least six months, complying with the gazette notification of the CAA.
“We have also set up a hotline, 1977, for consumers from any part of the island to complain against sub-standard products or not receiving a warranty on demand for an item they have purchased. Non-replacement of a faulty electrical item within the warranty period is an offence,” he stressed.
The All Island Public Health Inspectors have launched an islandwide inspection program of popular food products during the festive season, targeting allfood distribution points from hotels to restaurants to wayside eating outlets to ensure that the food sold is hygienically prepared, stored, and served.
The Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) has also launched a program within the city, targeting wholesale outlets which store food in demand for the festive season.
“We have deployed six teams each comprising a Medical Officer of Health, Public Health Inspector and a Food Inspector to areas where the highest number of substandard food are usually stored. They include: Petttah, Fort, Kotahena, Dematagoda, Borella, Wellawatte, Bambalapitiya, Kirulapone. In our most recent raid we found over a thousand spoilt eggs at St Joseph’s Street, Pettah because the owners are not following our rule of ‘first in–first out’ and selling the new eggs first and old eggs last.
“If cake makers purchase old eggs for their cakes those who ingest them can get salmonella. Refrain from buying eggs that are cheap and only purchase eggs from recognised dealers,” he cautioned. He said they were also checking on the inside of the stores which should be well ventilated, clean and rat free and the consumer products kept on shelves instead of the ground.
Kumara also advised consumers not to buy cut pieces of cake especially butter cake. “If the cake is green on the underside it means there is fungus. Bakers should not slice off the fungus and sell the cake in slices as the fungus would still remain inside the cake, causing health disorders.”
He also warned the public against purchasing ready-made fruit drinks and eating bright coloured sweets and exposed food while shopping in the Pettah or Fort. “Avoid eating apples and grapes sold in small boxes at cheap prices on street markets. They could be spoilt. Or, if unnaturally shiny they could have liberal doses of pesticides to preserve them,” he warned.