Monrovia – Due to the lack of robust and thorough inspections, merchants are freely flooding the Liberian market with expired products leaving consumers to feel the burnt.
Report by Al-Varney Rogers [email protected]
To curb the situation, the Ministry of Commerce has embarked on a vigorous inspection campaign and it is nabbing business people involved in the sale of expired goods.
Nyema Wisner, Deputy Minister of Commerce, said the Ministry is working to ensure expired goods are not on the market.
“Some business individuals are bent on duping the Liberian people; majority of our suffering masses on the streets buy these food. Our obligation to these people is to make sure that the ordinary masses are safe, because they are not in the position to read for expiration date,” Wisner said.
He added that expired goods stock in ware houses were discovered during a routine check by the Inspector General.
“Last week, our Inspector General made her routine inspection and it was discovered that there were stores down waterside named African Beauty Supply and Three Stars business services – during her check it was discovered that majority of the goods on shelves were expired,” Wisner added.
The Deputy Commerce Minister said during the search they were informed that the business is own by a Lebanese merchant, but to his surprise, Liberians were fronting for the Lebanese businessman.
“We learned that the store is own by one Fahart a Lebanese Merchants, the store has two Liberians fronting one Sarah who told us that her Sister is the Wife of Fahart who is in the United States,” Wisner said.
Minister Wisner said goods in the warehouse have been expired since 2016, adding that the merchants were re-stamping the expired products.
“Those guys had stockpile of goods from 2016 and erasing the original tag of the expiration date and re-stamping them, it is completely unacceptable,” he said.
“We saw expired cream, imagine our girls who are using these creams, juices are all expired, we asked them to close the warehouse, those stores are still closed, there were baby goods in there, one of the ladies fronting has a baby – can she give that expired baby food to her own baby,” Wisner added.
In keeping with the President’s mandate, the Deputy Commerce Minister said, the campaign would ensure that expired goods will get off the market, adding that the action by the Ministry should serve as a warning to business people who want to dub the government and Liberians.
He said legal action will be taken against culprits.
“We did it two weeks ago with another merchant selling eggs, let this serves as a warning to the others,” Wisner added.
Recently, the Ministry of Commerce fined Fuani Brothers US$25,000.00 for unilaterally hiking the price of eggs on the Liberian market.
Commerce Minister Wilson Tarpeh said while the government of President George Weah “stands ready and willing to encourage private investment”, and it will not tolerate unlawful business acts.
“We will not tolerate businesses that conduct in unlawful and inappropriate act that will undermine the commerce and trade of this country and bring unnecessary hardship to our people,” he said.