It is undeniably true that our markets are currently flooded with unregulated, uncertified products that we the citizenry are consuming without any remorse.
Most of the shops in both rural and urban areas are now filled with foods that we may deem to be unfit for human consumption, but many seem to be too blind, too arrogant to give an ear and eye to this.
Very few people tend to be interested in the little details on the foods and products consumed like dates of expiry, ingredients and worse still whether they are certified by the regulating bodies.
It’s sad that we have chosen to let the cheap prices of such products blind our eyes.
The Malawi Bureau of standards (MBS) is an organisation that was instituted to manage and regulate all issues regarding certification of products to be consumed by people.
However, when such an organisation goes to sleep on some products produced and consumed, their mandate becomes questionable.
Comrades, our markets are currently filled with unregulated products like bottled water, corn puffs (kamba), which are being consumed by large numbers of people.
Most of the bottled water we drink does not even have proper certification and tags to indicate that they are certified by MBS nor approved to be on the markets.
This possesses a great threat to the lives of many that are ignorantly quenching their thirsts.
Water is life and ought to be treated as such in protecting the lives of those consuming it.
Another product that has arguably taken the market by storm is the herbal fluid products that seem to have swayed and swept the market.
No day passes without listening to either herbal products adverts or streets being filled with such. I wonder if the Pharmacy, Medicines and Poisons Board is doing its job religiously.
Believe you me, the factories that produce these products are also far from being hygiene conscious and the process of producing these products is by far, sad and I am witness to this.
These factories have mushroomed in our locations, towns and the labour employed is usually cheap with disregard to hygiene over monetary value gains; hence, don’t care about the quality and standards of the end product.
Calling a spade by its name, MBS and the Board are sleeping, if not snoring on their jobs.
It is their duty and responsibility that the citizenry is protected from the products they consume.
