The Union of Consumers of Tajikistan, on the basis of the Law “On Protection of Consumer Rights”, explains how to proceed in this situation.
Unfortunately, there are very few consumers in Tajikistan who are aware of the legal requirements for food.
What are these requirements?
Not only the sale of expired goods is considered a violation, but also goods without specifying the production date, expiration date, composition of the food product, without a name or without specifying the storage conditions, and all this information must be displayed in a language understandable to consumers – Tajik or Russian.
Step by step instructions for consumers
What if a consumer stumbles upon a product that is listed for sale in violation of the law? Below we give step-by-step instructions on how to determine the presence of deficiencies in a product (food product) and what to do next:
1. Determine the fact of one or more offenses in the product (food product). This can be the expired period of consumption, the availability of information about the product (composition, calorie content, weight, manufacturer or importer), storage conditions for perishable goods.
2. Record the fact of an offense on your smartphone.
3. Contact one of the structures below with the following information:
– type of offense (expired goods, goods without labeling or information in a foreign incomprehensible language, etc.)
– the address of the store or retail outlet (it is advisable to also name a place nearby for a reference point)
– send a photograph of the fact of the offense recorded on your smartphone.
When contacting any of the structures below, it is advisable to find out the full name of the person who accepted your complaint so that in the future you can find out the result of your complaint.
You can send the above information to the Viber number of the Tajikstandart Agency at 988 50 2222 or to the website of Consumers Union of Tajikistan www.istemol.tj
You can also report a violation by phone by calling the following consumer protection agencies:
- Agency “Tajikstandart” – (+992 37) 233 44 99
- Sanitary and Epidemiological Service – (+992 37) 222 21 25
- Antimonopoly Service under the Government of the Republic – (+992 37) 236 50 08;
- Consumers Union of Tajikistan – (+992 37) 224 14 04.
The Union of Consumers of Tajikistan reminds that one call or one message from each consumer who discovered such violations can make a significant contribution to preventing the sale of low-quality products and protecting public health from food poisoning.
By the volunteers of the Consumer Union
In April 2021, the Union of Consumers of Tajikistan created a network of volunteers “We are for Safe Food!”, In which students and high school students from a number of educational institutions were involved.
They were trained in the skills of monitoring food quality and from June to September 2021 they conducted a series of monitoring. The volunteers purchased various food products – sausage and confectionery, baby sweets, frozen meat, canned food, carbonated drinks, instant food that did not meet the requirements of the current legislation.
Most of the purchased products expired, there was no information on the packages, storage conditions were violated. The volunteers handed over the purchased products to the Tajikstandart Agency for analysis and measures were taken against the violators.
The Consumers Union believes that the efforts of their employees and volunteers in this direction are not enough.
“Consumers themselves need to know the legal requirements for food and fight for their rights,” they say.
Source: https://asiaplustj.info/ru/news/tajikistan/society/20211127/chto-delat-esli-vam-prodali-prosrochennie-produkti?tg_rhash=dad9b8f651f186