Zambia launches product inspection drive



Hatyoka

... Hatyoka says the Surveillance Aims to Ensure Consumer Safety and Environmental Protection

By Francis Maingaila

Lusaka,Zambia24 - (November 10, 2024) - The Zambia Compulsory Standards Agency (ZCSA) has launched its 2024 National Open Market Surveillance (OMS) inspections in nine provinces to enforce compliance with national standards on 61 types of products. 

The inspections, which will run from November 11 to November 25, aim to assess both locally manufactured and imported goods.

In a statement issued on Sunday, Brian Hatyoka, Acting Manager for Communications and Public Relations at ZCSA, said, "The inspections will cover a wide range of products, including food, beverages, animal feed, chemicals, engineering products, household electrical appliances, fertilizers, and used textiles." 

The inspections are taking place in the Eastern, Central, Lusaka, Southern, Western, Copperbelt, North-Western, Muchinga, and Northern provinces.

Hatyoka emphasized that the ZCSA, operating under the authority of the Compulsory Standards Act No. 3 of 2017, "is authorized to seize, withdraw, and destroy any non-compliant products found during the inspections." 

He explained that these actions are aimed at protecting consumers from unsafe goods and mitigating environmental risks. 

Furthermore, the inspections will help the agency identify new or unregistered suppliers of products covered by compulsory standards.

In 2023, ZCSA's national OMS inspections covered six provinces, where 2,540 outlets were inspected across 22 districts. 

During that exercise, the agency recorded a compliance rate of 89%, a four-percentage-point increase from the previous year’s 85%. 

"Non-compliance led to the removal of products worth K271,266.19," Hatyoka added.

The ZCSA, which operates under the Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry, remains committed to its mandate of enforcing compulsory standards to safeguard public health, consumer safety, and environmental integrity across Zambia.


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