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2 Shoprite shops, others shut down

Malawi Bureau of Standards (MBS) on Tuesday continued its crackdown on supermarkets to enforce standards for consumer protection by shutting down two Shoprite supermarkets and several other outlets in Blantyre, Lilongwe and Mzuzu.

On the second day of the operation that started on Monday, MBS officials said they found expired goods such as salt, chilli sauce and maize flour infested with weevils.

Shoprite in Lilongwe closed over expired products. | George Singini

The inspectors also said they found poor storage of goods at the Blantyre and Lilongwe shops of Shoprite operated by South African firm Shoprite Holdings.

Speaking during the inspection in Blantyre on Tuesday, MBS senior quality monitoring officer Bonnex Msowoya said in terms of hygiene, Shoprite outlets conformed to the standards, but the shops fell short by keeping expired goods and storing some goods in poor conditions.

“So, we have given them time to rectify these issues and inform us. We will visit them again for them to re-open,” he said.

Msowoya said the bureau temporarily shut down the shops because expired products have a negative health impact on consumers.

During the inspection, it was established that items such as salt expired in April 2024 while maize flour expired on August 1 2024 and some of the packages were torn. Sugar was also poorly stored.

In Lilongwe, the bureau closed three other major shops, including Ekhaya Farms Foods outlet at Kanengo and two Panda Superstore shops during its quality inspection tours.

MBS communications officer Wazamazama Katatu in an interview said the closures were based on poor hygiene and stocking of expired products.

He said the Shoprite in Lilongwe Old Town was closed after the inspection found bags of expired baking flour in the backstore as well as rotten fruits and vegetables on the shelves.

Two Panda Superstore shops at Area 12 and Area 49 were closed over poor hygiene.

On the other hand, the Ekhaya Farms Foods shop at Kanengo in Lilongwe was closed for stocking expired products and poor hygiene in its backyard.

Katatu has since urged all the closed shops to rectify the areas that have fallen short on if they are to be reopened.

He said the bureau will deploy officers to check if the issues have been resolved.

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