Expired food items, counterfeit prescription medication, body lotion and other prohibited goods are pictured at a warehouse in Bluff in Durban during a police raid on 20 November 2024.
The investigation follows complaints from consumers and a visit last month to a company in Verulam, north of Durban. The company was found to repackage cakes and snacks with expired dates and sell other items without proper labels. NCC spokesperson Phetho Ntaba says, “We were here last month to conduct market monitoring, and of course, we were not happy with what we saw. We must have an investigation or directive to say we are investigating a supplier, and we are here today to issue that directive.”
“In some instances, we issue compliance notices where things can be easily fixed and we allow through a compliance certificate to say either you remove the goods from the shelves or you fix or label properly but it will depend on the contravention,” Ntaba added. The investigation aims to address these concerns and ensure consumer safety in the province, says the NCC.