LAHORE: Consumers remain at the receiving end in the absence of effective consumer protection agencies as both private and public sector exploits them in quality, quantity, and rates.
We see commodities like mutton, meat, and chicken being sold openly, without any protection from pests like flies. On top of that, many vendors soak meat in water to spike the weight of the commodity.
Adulteration of unpacked milk is common knowledge, however, mislabelling tea-whiteners as milk, or putting them in the same shelves as milk is another method to deceive the consumer. Such products are stacked along various other dairy milk products and unaware consumers buy it as milk, especially since the price is lower. The cosmetic action of throwing adulterated milk in canals has not resolved the issue. The consumers are being deprived of both money and health because these malpractices.
Every educated person knows that non-food colours are carcinogenic. They spread cancer; still there is no check on scores of food items that are made attractive with carcinogenic non-food colours. We have never heard that any regulator has ever checked the quality of colours used by even documented food processors.
The declaration on the label that food colours are used is not enough, there needs to be a periodic check on such claims. The quality of these colours is not checked even at the import stage. Since the elite consume high priced imported processed foods, the poor and middle income consumers are the victims.
Products made from chemicals have a shelf life, as the efficacy of chemicals declines after a specific period. Toothpastes, shampoos, toilet soaps, body lotions are produced from chemicals. In developed economies and even in major emerging economies, the expiry date of these items is given on their labels. This is not practiced in Pakistan; even multinationals do not do so.
There is a possibility that many shopkeepers fail to sell their products in time and unaware consumers become the victims. They suffer skin rashes by using expired soaps or body lotion. They may get ill by using expired toothpastes. Even medicated toothpastes have no expiry date.
Another area where consumers suffer is in the landline phones, particularly those who have subscribed to fixed amount packages. If the phone goes out of order, and is not restored even after numerous complaints, they are still bound to pay the monthly package.
Numerous subscribers have complained about the electronic complaint method of the telecom, stating that though the company says its representative will visit to fix the line, in most cases, nobody ever shows up.
Another area, where consumers suffer is the storage of medicines in duly registered medical stores. It is common knowledge, as well as written on most medicines that it should kept at below 30 degree centigrade and away from direct sunlight. If we visit medical stores in poor or lower middle income localities, we find drugs stocked in shelves basking in full sunshine in non-air conditioned stores.
The efficacy of drug deteriorates in heat. The patients that use heated medicines do not get the recommended dose. The drug inspectors take medicines from such heated stores for testing the quality and the tests reveal formulation to be substandard.
The manufacturing company is prosecuted instead of the medical store. The drugs meant for human consumption should be stored at recommended temperatures. The consumers should be protected from this malpractice as well.
