The Competition and Consumer Affairs Authority has fined 13 grocery shops in Dagana and Tsirang for selling expired goods. They were fined during the market surveillance, which is the inspection for rectification and prevention of unethical and illegal business practices to protect consumers. Almost a two-week-long inspection was carried out recently.
The Competition and Consumer Affairs Authority team with support from the Bhutan Food and Drug Authority’s field officials inspected major towns of the two districts.
They inspected over 260 business establishments including fuel depots, hotels, salons, garment shops and grocery shops among others.
The inspection team found out that 12 grocery shops in Dagana and one in Tsirang had expired stocks including biscuits, processed cheese, and juice.
The shopkeepers were fined around Nu 5,000 in total.
The Bhutan Food and Drug Authority’s officials have seized the expired products.
The surveillance team also found problems of inadequate labelling when it comes to locally made and re-packaged products.
While inspecting the fuel depots and outlets, the team found out that Liquefied Petroleum Gas cylinder stores or outlets in the two districts are still operating from the Petroleum retail outlet or fuel depot.
Officials said the Department of Trade will be informed accordingly and that there is a need to set up a separate outlet for LPG cylinders as per the Standard Operating Procedure for Storage and Handling of Liquefied Petroleum, 2024.
As per the SOP, LPG stores/outlets shall not be located within the premises of petroleum retail outlets and must be at a safe distance.
The market surveillance report mentioned that fire extinguishers at STCBL’s fuel retail outlet in Tsirang’s Damphu do not have expiry dates.
And measuring jars of the Druk Petroleum Corporation’s fuel depot in the town are due for calibration.
Therefore, the market surveillance team has directed all the petroleum retail outlets to rectify minor violations.
The report highlighted four minimum market regulatory requirements for business establishments. That includes all business establishments to issue cash memos or purchase receipts for all purchases over Nu 100, to calibrate weighing devices, display clear selling prices of the goods and services, and there must be proper labellings such as net weight or volume, date of manufacture and expiry date, and product description.
The Competition and Consumer Affairs Authority carry out market surveillance in line with the Consumer Protection Act, 2012, and the Consumer Protection Rules and Regulations, 2015.
Pema Tshewang, Tsirang/Dagana
Edited by Tshering Zam
