ZCSA WARNS ZAMBIANS AGAINST EXPIRED PRODUCTS, ILLICIT ALCOHOL
By Francis Maingaila ♥️
Lusaka, Zambia24 — October 23, 2026 — The Zambia Compulsory Standards Agency (ZCSA) has urged Zambians to be cautious when buying food, drinks and other goods, warning that expired products and illicit alcoholic beverages can put their health and lives at risk.
According to a statement issued by Brian Hatyoka, ZCSA Manager for Communications and Public Relations, Agency Executive Director Gerald Chizinga has called on consumers to check expiry dates, buy from trusted sellers and report unsafe products before they cause harm.
Mr Chizinga said keeping dangerous products off the market was not the responsibility of regulators alone, but required everyone, including government institutions, manufacturers, importers, suppliers and consumers, to play their part.
He was speaking in Lusaka on Friday when ZCSA staff cleaned Chipata Level 1 Hospital and donated cleaning materials, toiletries, sanitary products and fruits worth K10,000.
The exercise and donation formed part of activities marking Zambia’s 62nd Independence Anniversary, celebrated under the theme “Zambia@62: Our Journey, Our Growth and Our Future”.
Mr Chizinga urged members of the public not to ignore expired goods or suspicious alcoholic beverages when they came across them, but to report such products to ZCSA for action.
“Let us be vigilant consumers, advocating for safety in every product, and welcoming initiatives that promote public health and safety in our communities. Together, we can ensure that unsafe goods have no place in our trading places and safeguard our health,” he said.
He said protecting consumers from unsafe products was important to the country’s development and the Government’s Grow Zambia Agenda, adding that people needed to be healthy and safe to contribute meaningfully to national progress.
Mr Chizinga said ZCSA was also stepping up product inspections and testing to ensure that goods covered by compulsory standards met the required safety and quality requirements.
He said the hospital visit was one way the Agency was giving back to the community and supporting efforts to improve public health.
Chipata Level 1 Hospital Medical Superintendent Dr Mataa Moses Mataa thanked ZCSA for the donation, saying the items would help the hospital care for patients as they recovered.
ZCSA regulates 102 imported and locally manufactured products under compulsory standards. These include food and beverages, chemicals, household electrical appliances, fertiliser, fuel, cement, used motor vehicles and used textile products.
The Agency falls under the Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry and operates under the Compulsory Standards Act, Chapter 422 of the Laws of Zambia.
Its role is to enforce compulsory standards to protect consumers, public health and the environment from the dangers posed by unsafe products.
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