In April 2021, the Consumers Union of Tajikistan created a network of volunteers “We are for safe food!”, which involved students of universities and 10-11 grades pupils. In order to increase the potential and legal awareness of the network members the Consumers Union was organized and conducted a one-day training following which the volunteers, under the guidance of CU specialists began the process of monitoring food in retail outlets in Dushanbe city. In total, by volunteers and CU specialists were conducted several series of monitoring sessions , which we wrote about in previous articles. As a result of the monitoring were purchased various kinds of sausage and confectionery products, children’s sweets, frozen meat, canned foods, carbonated drinks, chocolates and fast food products, which had certain disadvantages according to the current legislation. In particular, the violations identified were related to such offenses as expired consumption, lack of information on packages, violation of storage conditions, and so on. All purchased products were transferred to the Tajikstandart Agency for further analysis and taking measures against violators. The activity of the network has made a significant contribution to the ordering of the display of food on the shelves of some outlets of the capital, but it is important to note that carrying out this kind of activity should become something familiar not only for this network of volunteers or for CU specialists, but also for all consumers of the country, since this is the only way consumers can contribute to preventing the sale of substandard products and protect their health and the health of their relatives from substandard food. Despite the best efforts of the volunteer network, expired products, low-quality products and food products with violation of labeling requirements can be still found on the shelves of grocery stores and markets.
According to international statistics, 600 million people worldwide suffer from substandard food, resulting in 420,000 deaths. Children, elderly people who suffer from various diseases are more susceptible to poor-quality food. In this connection, have been developed international action plans, national standards and norms to prevent such cases and provide the population with safe and high-quality food. The conclusion that we made based on the results of the food monitoring is that all consumers of the country should feel responsible and systematically participate in order to ensure the sale of safe and high-quality food at the country’s retail outlets.
We all know that the sale of expired food is prohibited by law. This means that a bona fide seller must withdraw the product from sale at the time of its expiration date. However, in practice, each of us may encounter the fact that expired food products can be found on the shelves of grocery stores. Unfortunately, not everyone pays attention to such offenses, or if is found, not every consumer decides to demand that the seller remove such goods from the counter, or complain to the appropriate authorized structures. The Consumers Union believes that it is precisely because of such indifference of consumers, today you can find on the shelves of almost every store products with expired consumption, or with the lack of complete information in accordance with current legislation.
In this regard, the Consumers Union of Tajikistan and the network of volunteers “We are for safe food!” calls on all consumers of the country not to stand aside and join the activities of the network “We are for safe food!”. Together we will be able to improve the quality of food, prevent the sale of products that do not meet the established norms and standards, as well as increase the entrepreneurial culture in our country. To do this, you only need during shopping to pay attention to the presence of the following information on food packages:
- Product name.
- Information about the composition and nutritional value of the product.
- The name of the ingredients, including food additives and genetically modified organisms.
- Information about production standards
- Methods of food preparation.
- Date of manufacture, date of packaging and shelf life of food products.
- Quantity of food products.
- Storage conditions of food products.
- The name and location of the manufacturer of the goods.
If any of these items are not on food packages, or you have found a product with an expired expiration date, then you can fix it on your smartphone and feel free to inform one of the following structures by the specified contacts:
- Tajikstandart Agency – 988 50 2222 (viber)
- Sanitary and Epidemiological Service – (+992 37) 222 21 25
- Antimonopoly Service under the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan – (+992 37) 236-50-08; 236-50-27
- Consumers Union of Tajikistan – (+992 37) 224 14 04, www.istemol.tj
One call or one message from each consumer who discovered such offenses can make a significant contribution to preventing the sale of substandard products and protecting public health from food poisoning. After all, almost every one of us regularly makes purchases in grocery stores and can be a little more attentive to the above aspects and take part in public monitoring at least once a week.
Dear consumers, do not be indifferent to your health and the health of your relatives and let’s act together – together we are a force!