UNBS worried over increasing substandard pre-packaged products on Ugandan market
Uganda National Bureau of Standards is worried about the increasing number of underweight prepackaged goods that continue to dominate the Ugandan Market.
According to the senior inspector of weights and measures at the bureau Lawrence Kitimbo, despite multiple inspections done by the bureau, underweight goods continue to cripple trade and encroach on consumer rights, while experts from consumers protection believe if this vice is not eliminated, Uganda’s economy is headed for tough times.
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Packing, selling and being in possession of or holding for sale and underweight prepackaged goods is an offense punished by law because its contradicts the UNBS Act of 2013, the weights and measures act and the weights and measures rule 2020.
As underweight commodities like bread, sugar and other essential commodities continue to dominate the Ugandan market, Uganda National Bureau of Standards has come to caution companies that release underweight prepackaged goods to the Ugandan market arguing that value for money of consumers is not satisfactory.
Consumer protectors believe it’s high time for the bureau to tighten its monitoring inspection, arguing that the vice has been encroaching on consumers’ rights for the past decades.
Stressing the need for collective efforts from the public to be on a look out if Uganda’s promotion initiative of Buy Uganda Build Uganda is to thrive.
While the bureau is carrying out numerous inspections to kick out the vice, consumer protection activist Henry Kimera says this challenges the government on the quality and quantity of goods because it affects consumer rights and trust to Ugandan produce.
“The challenge of underweight products has been on for the last decade, consumers need to find value for their money, but if this is continuing to happen day by day, we are out of business,” Kimera said.
UNBS’s crackdown on underweight pre-packaged goods is an essential step towards ensuring that Uganda consumers are getting safe quality goods while value is attached.
