Making a killing with expired food
MASERU — When officers from the Maseru City Council raided Fahhida Supermarket last week nothing could have prepared them for the horror they were about to encounter.
In the supermarket were shelves after shelves of expired foodstuffs — all being sold on the cheap.
About 300 kilometres north of Maseru in Mokhotlong, a Chinese-owned grocery store, Tai Enterprise, was raided with the authorities confiscating expired foodstuffs worth M15 000.
A woman of Chinese descent, Chen Xluzhuze, was arrested in the crackdown and appeared before the Mokhotlong Magistrate’s Court last week.
She was later released on M600 bail.
The two incidents highlight a worrying trend in Lesotho where supermarkets sell expired products endangering the health of thousands of Basotho.
Maseru City Council (MCC) information officer, Lintle Moerane, says the council is concerned by moves by some shops to repack and sell expired foodstuffs.
But the repacking of expired foodstuffs seems to be a common practice by most of the retailers in Maseru.
An employee at a Chinese-owned store in Maseru told the Lesotho Times that it is a well known practice in most stores to repackage or erase dates on expired foodstuffs.
Business owners do not want to make losses and they do that at the expense of the consumers, said the worker who requested she was not named.
“This has been going on for years. We are made to pack the food in new containers when it reaches its expiry date. The storerooms are busy at nights with some employees washing away expiry dates. It is a common practice in most shops, especially those owned by the Chinese,” she said.
She said what was sad about the practice was that most people were not even aware that the foodstuffs would have expired and continue to buy such products because they come cheap.
“Our people are very poor. Some of them buy the food knowing very well that it has expired but because it is cheap they buy it because they can at least afford it. In fact they come looking for expired food hoping that it will be on sale,” he says.
Business owners have therefore taken advantage of vulnerability of the people to sell the expired food.
“It is such a cruel thing to do. They even make us wash rotting meat in salty water to make it taste better. They pack it in smaller quantities and reduce the price to sell it off.
“We are threatened not to say a word about the repackaging to hide the evidence that food has reached its sell-by date. Our bosses say they are in business to make profit not to look after the people they do not know,” said another employee at a Chinese shop in Butha-Buthe.
The female employee said the business owners do not care about the consumers’ needs and their safety.
“They don’t care what happens to the customers as long as they get the money. They leave broken bottled food like tomato sauce on display. Imagine what could happen if someone was to eat broken glass with the food,” she says.
But the MCC’s Moerane says the cheating retailers are playing a dangerous game by selling expired food.
She says even though there have not been any fatal cases that have been reported, expired food can be dangerous.
“People can react differently to contaminated food. Some may get sick and others may seem unharmed. Nonetheless expired foodstuffs are not good for consumption,” she says.
“We have however had reports where consumers bought foodstuffs only to realise when they got home later that the food had expired. They do not get good service from the retailers and so they come to the MCC to report such cases.”
Even though the MCC and the department of health and environment in the Ministry of Health conduct operations to remove expired foodstuffs in the supermarkets some members of the public, driven by poverty, do not see reason to do so, especially when the food is cheap.
‘Matanki Tjama says the department should not force retailers to throw away expired food.
“No one should throw away food when there are people who are hungry. The food they are throwing away still looks good and tasty. They should leave the food to us the poor because we cannot all afford to buy from expensive stores,” Tjama says.
“The food is cheaper and repacked into smaller sizes so that the prices are reduced, something you will never see with these big stores in fancy malls where they buy,” she adds.
Some people say retailers should be heavily punished for selling expired food.
“Selling expired food is as good as feeding poison to someone. And they know that they are killing people and that is why they hide evidence when the foodstuffs have passed their sell-by date.
“They should pay a heavy fine, get imprisoned and have their business licences confiscated,” says Pontšo Leema.
The Public Health Order of 1970 outlaws the selling of expired foodstuffs.
But retailers who violate the statute get a slap on the wrist with a six months prison term or an option to pay a mere M600 fine.
Leema rightly says the law must be reviewed.
“What they get now is just a slap on the cheek. They should have their licences cancelled,” she says.
A medical website says though some expiry dates relate to product taste, in some cases eating expired food triggers food poisoning.
Symptoms and health effects vary depending on the type of poisoning.
“However, common signs include cramping in the stomach area, frequent vomiting, fever, dizziness, dehydration and persistent diarrhea. The symptoms may last a few hours, days or weeks depending on the severity of the condition,” says the website.
“Some food stored past its use-by date in poor conditions can even become contaminated with the serious bacterial infections salmonella or listeria.”
Comment by julia on 5 July 2012:
Now that MCC,Ministry of Trade are doing their job, Ministry of justice must follow the beat – M600 bail, the law must be amended, a person’s life is not worth M600.
Comment by Mapetla on 5 July 2012:
This is total insane.I don’t see a need why peopole like this should be kept in business circle if they make money at the expense of our lives.They take us for granted,that’s why they’re not even ashamed of dumping this rubish they sell on us (Basotho),or is it because re lapa haholo hoo ba utloang hore they can sell expired food? All people resposible must face the music and be charged accordingly,justice must be served.
Comment by Lekaota on 5 July 2012:
Lesotho times mona ke bona le phetapheta ntho ele ‘ngoe, ha ho moo taba ena e fapaneng le ea Fahhida ee hlahileng articling ee fitileng.
Ho ea tsebahala hore hohle mona ho tletse libolu,tsamaeang le ilo re qolotsetsa hore naa mehato ea ‘muso ke efe tabeng eena, haholo ka batho bana ba sa etseng mosebetsi oa bona ba li Health Inspector le bana ba bo MCC.
Ke bona ba ntseng ba amohela litjotjo ho melata ena hore ho bolaoe Basotho.
Comment by Mapetla on 5 July 2012:
As a follow up,I second Julia’s comment,we’re not worth such lousy sum of money.It’s high time Lesotho or Basotho put their foot down regardless of our backgrounds or political differences and pray God in spirit and trueth to help us take this country where it belongs.
Comment by BKC on 5 July 2012:
It just defies logic that these Chninese should be selling ‘rotten’ food to our People. But looked into from another angle, it is because they always find willing buyers in our own People-who are pushed into these untidy circumstances by the growing need, poverty and destitution.
This is clearly a call to our rulers and their senior public servants, that everytime they are buying their family groceries from reputable supermakets in the shopping mall they should be reminded that our People are daily being compelled to be eating ‘rotten’ food stuffs due to ever rising levels of poverty and destitution!
If our leaders do have any conscience left in them, this is a loud call for them to come up with viable solutions and strategies to relieve the People from their inhuman circumstance!
Comment by Shawdy on 5 July 2012:
Where is the food control legislation?? Lesotho does not have any. Even if they confiscate the merchandise, they will never take the matter anywhere because there is no backing legislation to regulate the food sector….
Ministry of Trade and Industry where is the Food Control bill??
Eletsang letona le le cha Basotho!!!
Comment by dc on 5 July 2012:
wel done! please dont 4get Sky Country ka nama e bolileng!
Comment by Palesa on 5 July 2012:
well done health inspectors together le sechaba se faneng ka monyenyetsi. basotho le bue ntho tse le li tsebang, some of the comments here ke tsa batho basa tsebeng wat they r talking abt
Comment by Palesa on 5 July 2012:
lekaota MCC le Health inspector li fapana kae bua seo ose tsebang hle ngoaneso
Comment by Mphoza Matix on 5 July 2012:
These Chinese selling expired food must be severely punished, teir licences must be cancelled and if they do not obey our law they should go back home. Bonyane ha ba li etse sale two months before expiry date.That way they will still make proft.
Comment by Lekaota on 5 July 2012:
@Palesa
Ngoaneso ha kesa tsebe o nthuse hase phoso. Haeso koana ha hona MCC hona le li Health inspectors.Ke ne ke nahana hore MCC ke ntho ea Maseru ntle le haeba ha ke tsebe hore naa MCC e bolela eng,feela
‘na haeso koana bokaota ha ke eso utloe ho buuoa ka MCC.
MCC e bolela eng ngoaneso?
Comment by Mosotho K on 5 July 2012:
“Selling expired food is as good as feeding poison to someone. And they know that they are killing people and that is why they hide evidence when the foodstuffs have passed their sell-by date.
“They should pay a heavy fine, get imprisoned and have their business licences confiscated,” says Pontšo Leema.
Basotho, time to feed ourselves. Grow our own food, instead of eating from others.
Mosotho K
sothokid@gmail.com
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Comment by Noko on 6 July 2012:
M600,..? does it even cover the cost the teams, trade, MCC and the police, encounter….the law must be changed..and the teams must be such that they even investigate the residence if legal or not…Most importantly the licences must be revoked and the building remain unused for 2 years..this will will also force the owners of buildings not to be guilty by association..they will verify the ethicacy of the people who lodge their buildings…
they should also be forced to pay the expenses incurred by MCC and rest…
Comment by Reaphoqoa on 6 July 2012:
“She says even though there have not been any fatal cases that have been reported, expired food can be dangerous.”
What a shame, because Basotho cannot afford or do not know their right to ask for postmortem after the deaths of their beloved it means no one has been killed by rotten stuff. Che etsoe le lehlanya le ntse le phela lilemo-lemo ntse leja moqomomg.
So take advantage of our vulnerability foreigners.
Comment by MR FANG KANG on 7 July 2012:
here we go again , its the chinese and indians or pakis fault lets blame it on the foreigners again. If tomorrow is snow or rain its because of chinese and indians.
brilliant article , last week its fahida supermarket now its the chinese lady from Mokhotlong.
its always easy to blame the foreigners. they are satans.
right?
Basotho owned stores dont sell expired stocks?
I would really like one to look at the nature of the problem. there is profit to be made and if you get caught you can get away with R 250.00 (the price of 2 full nandos chicken)
I think with that R 250.00 the government is inviting everyone to come and sell expired food and make $$$
the only way to prevent store owners to sell expired food is heavy punishment, heavy fines, a fine that they will fear and not touch the expired food again.
Fahida was a wholesaler , they sale to chinese/ indian and basotho small stores, they are the source of expired stocks and they push through their customer channels further to every ground consumers.
Those who are reading this article and making response is not the ones at the bottom of this country, we are the ones buy from pick n pay and shoprite we do not feel the budget burden of those buying expired food, we do not suffer hunger at night. its easy for us to make comments like ” chinese and indians are selling expired food to kill us basothos” YES if they have the money they will buy from PnP or shoprite.
problem is poverty and no money.
its sad and true that the grass root cant afford and many lifes live from meal to meal. they cant choose what they buy , their budget limit them.
The government should make sure that the grass root in this country receives a descent living and income, then they can afford better quality food and life. otherwise selling expired food will always exist because of market demand.
ps. those who sales expired food is wrong , should be punished, heavily, regardless their race, gender or religion.
Comment by MR FANG KANG on 7 July 2012:
there was once a cold winter night
i did not have money, only R5 in my pocket a proper meal was R10 , a packet of expired instant noodles was R2.00 and I could still have R3.00 taxi money the next day.
my mind tells me no , but my stomach is crying and i dont want to walk to my work the next day. no one was willing to give me R5.00 and i know the expired food could get me sick , cancer but i did not have a choice.
Comment by Coalition on 7 July 2012:
About 300 kilometres north of Maseru in Mokhotlong, oe che English!
Lesotho times e tlameha ho etsa restructuring kapa e isa batlalehi sekolong.
Pingback by Lesotho Media and the Growing Intimidation of Chinese Shop Owners – Africa is a Country on 14 February 2013:
[...] of Lesotho had, through its ministry of Trade and Industry, shut down shops in and around Maseru. Earlier raids seem to have been conducted, but Chinese-owned shops have been known to sell less-than-appealing [...]
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