Public health inspectors/Consumer Affairs Authority should conduct spot raids

It was around 8:30 p.m. yesterday, I went to a leading supermarket housed in the ground floor of a somewhat newly-built apartment located in Sirimavo Bandaranaike Mawatha, Colombo 12 on my way to my daughter’s home at Armour Street flat as there was a sales promotion captioned ‘Back To Back Deemanaa’ where you get a  10% discount on production of a coupon for purchases over Rs. 1,500 and other special rewards such as discount entitlement for your next purchase, coupons entitling  you to enter a raffle draw – Rs.100,000 if you’re lucky.

After loading most of the stuff required for the ensuing week on to a trolley, I just picked a vanilla flavoured milk sachet for my beloved being her favourite post-dinner drink from the glass door freezer display cabinet. I happened to check the expiry date (which I rarely do) and found that it was 2 December. I brought this to the notice of the sales girl and she profusely apologised and took it back. 

It is very likely that not only children even adults could just consume it when one is extremely thirsty and wants to go for a cool drink to quench their thirst without looking for the date of expiry.

This is to request the supermarkets to regularly check the shelf life of all their products on display and customers also to do the same. Public health inspectors and the Consumer Affairs Authority should not only conduct surprise raids on small sales outlets and boutiques but also do these on high-end supermarkets as well and impose heavy penalties if expired stocks are found so that the marketers will be extra careful always.

Mohamed Zahran Colombo 14