The Zambia Compulsory Standards Agency (ZCSA) has commenced its 2024 national Open Market Surveillance (OMS) inspections in nine provinces of Zambia to check compliance levels on 61 products covered by Compulsory Standards.
The exercise is covering locally manufactured and imported food products, beverages, animal feed,chemical, and engineering products, household electrical and similar appliances, fertilizer and used textile products, among others, in Eastern, Central, Lusaka, Southern, Western, Copperbelt, North-Western,Muchinga and Northern provinces.
During this activity which will run from November 11, 2024 to November 25, 2024, non-compliant products will be seized, withdrawn from the market and destroyed in line with Section 16 4(b) of the Compulsory Standards Act No. 3 of 2017 in a bid to protect consumers and the environment.The exercise will also assist the Agency to identify new and unregistered suppliers of products covered by compulsory standards.
In 2023, the Agency conducted its national OMS inspections in six provinces from July 31 to September 29,covering 22 districts and 64 localities.
As part of this exercise last year, 2,540 trading outlets were inspected in six provinces of Zambia out of which there were 35 products inspected while the incidents of non-compliance stood at 150.The combined compliance rate for 2023 in six provinces stood at 89 per cent from 85 per cent recorded in 2022 in the same provinces, thereby showing an increase of four per cent.
According to 2023 findings, the total value of withdrawn products from the six provinces was K271, 266.19.ZCSA, a statutory body under Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry, is mandated by the Compulsory Standards Act No. 3 of 2017, to administer, maintain and enforce compulsory standards for the purpose of public safety, health, consumer and environmental protection.Â
Issued by:
BRIAN HATYOKA| ACTING MANAGER – COMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLIC RELATIONS
Zambia Compulsory Standards Agency
Not a bad idea at all .. as long as its not selective !!!
Does it mean that no incoming inspections are done on imported products? Inspecting them from store outlets may be too late.
Wondering why such an operation is being announced. Telling them to hide the contraband?