Consumers advised to be wary of expired products
Published on: Sunday, February 04, 2024
By: Jonathan Nicholas
Act 281 Section 14 of the Food Act 1983 prohibits the sale of food “not of the nature, substance and quality demanded” and sale of expired food falls under this. Upon conviction, offenders face a stiff jail term of up to five years or a fine, or both. - pix for illustration purposes only
Kota Kinabalu: Consumers are advised to be wary of expired products when purchasing festive hampers.
Sabah West Coast Smart Consumers Association Chairman David Chan said he received numerous complaints from the Kota Kinabalu area.
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“A complainant was quite embarrassed after gifting the hamper to a friend only for them to find out the food had gone bad.
“We cannot open the hampers to examine the expiry dates, so it’s not fair for the consumers.
“The best thing consumers can do is pick the gift items themselves and have the store wrap it,” he said and urged them to report the matter to the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Costs of Living (KPDN) unless the store issues an exchange or refund.
Act 281 Section 14 of the Food Act 1983 prohibits the sale of food “not of the nature, substance and quality demanded” and sale of expired food falls under this.
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Upon conviction, offenders face a stiff jail term of up to five years or a fine, or both.
“KPDN has made it very easy to lodge reports digitally either via their website or WhatsApp hotline.
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“Materials expire and sometimes it is overlooked by staff. But as a consumer, you can avoid this unnecessary problem,” David said.
Responding to a Daily Express question about the looming tax hike, he said he had written to KPDN Minister Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali asking how consumers are to face the “unavoidable challenge”.
“It will be a challenge for sure. I urge consumers to start budgeting their expenses if they haven’t already. Back in those days, RM100 would get you a full trolley of groceries, now RM200 would not even fill half.
“The cost of living has drastically risen, the demand for commodities like sugar and wheat only increases. Manufactures are also impacted largely due to unforeseen circumstances,” he said referring to war.
He said people should be more vigilant about their spending and only shell out for necessary items.
“If you overspend you will end up in debt…I’ve seen so many households buy and hoard things they don’t ever use or even need. Stay on a budget,” he said.
Hoping for greater economic recovery, he wished Sabahans a prosperous Chinese New Year.
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