A wave of consumer outrage is brewing across South Africa as the National Consumer Commission NCC cracks down on dodgy retailers caught flouting food safety laws and ripping off customers, Cape town Etc reports.
In a sweeping operation across the country, the NCC uncovered multiple stores selling expired goods, leaving out price tags, and even skipping the basics like issuing receipts, as they report in their statement .
Acting Consumer Commissioner Hardin Ratshisusu says the findings paint a grim picture of just how low some businesses are willing to go for a quick buck. During a series of inspections in both urban and rural areas, inspectors found a wide range of food items, including dairy, meat, maize meal, eggs, and snacks, that had either expired, were missing expiry dates, or were so poorly labelled that customers couldn't tell what they were buying.
'Many of these products are not only misleading but outright dangerous,' said Ratshisusu. You can't sell chicken pieces with no label or damaged tins of food with no expiry date. This is a serious violation of consumer rights.'
What's more, several stores were also found displaying items, like sugar, soup, and canned foods, without any visible pricing. This directly violates South Africa's Consumer Protection Act CPA, which guarantees transparency and the right to fair, honest transactions. The lack of pricing deprives shoppers of the ability to make informed decisions, often leaving them vulnerable to inflated costs.