By Tatenda Gabi
In a move to safeguard consumers against the influx of expired and counterfeit food products, the Zimbabwean government has established a 16-member Food Standards Advisory Board. The board, appointed by Health and Child Care Minister Douglas Mombeshora, will oversee the production and distribution of food items across the country.
The mandate of the board is derived from the Food and Food Standards Act [Chapter 15:04], which was promulgated in 1971. The act aims to ensure the sale and importation of pure food products, prohibit the sale of falsely described foods, and set standards for food-related matters.
Minister Mombeshora emphasized the importance of the board’s role in protecting consumers from unsafe food and enabling farmers and food manufacturers to enhance their export earnings. He urged the board to actively participate in international food standards setting activities, such as those of CODEX, the World Trade Organisation’s Sanitary and Phytosanitary measures (WTO SPS) committee, the African Organisation for Standardisation, and the International Organisation for Standardisation.
The establishment of the Food Standards Advisory Board comes after a recent crackdown by the Ministry of Industry and Commerce. In May, the ministry inspected over 5,000 products for weights and measurements and issued more than 11,000 penalties for non-compliant products. The ministry also charged over a thousand businesses for selling expired and underweight goods, among other offenses, under the Consumer Protection Act.
With the new board in place, the government aims to strengthen its efforts to protect consumers and ensure the quality and safety of food products available in the market, particularly in the central business districts where tuckshops are prevalent.
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