malvernmugadzikwa
Sunday Mail Reporter
BUY ZIMBABWE has raised the alarm over seven foreign unfortified sugar brands being sold in local retail shops, in contravention of the law.
In a statement, Buy Zimbabwe, an organisation that promotes production and consumption of locally produced goods and services, said the sugar poses a public health risk.
Statutory Instrument (SI) 120 of 2016 requires sugar sold in local shops to be fortified using nutrients approved by the Ministry of Health and Child Care.
Buy Zimbabwe general manager Mr Alois Burutsa said the products (names supplied) have undergone compliance tests and have been found to lack the requisite nutrients.
“In addition, these brands are also non-compliant on labelling. They have failed to meet the labelling requirement tests,” he said.
“Some of these brands do not have nutritional information and expiry dates, as prescribed by regulations.
“We, therefore, call upon the relevant authorities to ensure the non-compliant brands are removed from the market and should not be imported into Zimbabwe.
“They should be taken off our shelves to protect our innocent and unsuspecting consumers.”
He said SI 120 was promulgated to address the lack of micronutrients in some food products, which affects the physical and cognitive development of consumers.
Section 7 of the regulations states: “No person shall manufacture, import, pack, store or sell any wheat flour, milled maize products, sugar, salt or edible oil unless such flour, sugar or edible oil is fortified, unless otherwise exempted by the Secretary of Health and Child Care.”
Mr Burutsa added: “We also appeal to the relevant arms of Government to take immediate action and remove all the non-conforming brands from the shelves to protect consumers and ensure full compliance with food fortificants, in terms of SI 120 of 2016, by all players.
“We also urge the public to buy locally manufactured fortified sugar, which meets the set dietary standards.”
Online Reporter