Cama bemoans increase in harmful products

Consumers Association of Malawi (Cama) has expressed worry over the rise in poor and harmful products sold under unhygienic conditions in most urban markets.

Speaking to journalists, last week, Cama executive director John Kapito said poor sanitation has hit most urban markets.

“If you go to Limbe Market now you will find products such as water being sold in unhygienic polythene paper bags and bottles, rotten bread, decanted crude cooking oils, rotten meat and stale perishable goods, a situation which poses a threat to consumers’ lives,” he said, adding that it is the duty of Blantyre City Council (BCC) to ensure goods are sold in clean markets.

Kapito also observed that “sometimes you can find a vendor selling vegetables and other raw foodstuffs near a toilet and/or sewer spillage”.

He further said, markets should not be a death trap to innocent consumers due to negligence of some duty bearers.

“BCC has got a full health department whose duties include ensuring that we are surrounded by a healthy environment which the market is part of, but the experience is the contrary.” said Kapito.

As one way of making the city council accountable, Cama has written BCC to immediately clean-up the markets by April 5, 2018.