Audit to protect Eden Park consumers completed
The Eden Park Informal Business Forum, under the guidance of Erstwhile Community and Business Projects NPC (ECBP), has completed its third Consumer Goods Verification Audit since its establishment in 2014.
The audit was performed after a request was received from Kalilhur Rahman, a member of the local Bangladeshi trader community, to conduct a compliance check on the Bangladeshi traders in Eden Park.
Rahman’s concern came after a picture of a 1.25l Coco-Cola bottle containing strange particles went viral on social media.
“The purpose of the audit was to encourage good practice by traders in the community while ensuring products are within their shelf life,” said chief Johannes Ralph Goliath from the ECBP.
This follows on a founding tenant of the Eden Park Informal Business Forum that Eden Park will not become a dumping ground for expired stock through local traders.
“We will not allow our consumer rights to be undermined or violated, as we will take care of our domestic affairs,” said Goliath.
“It was truly commendable of Mr Rahman and the Bangladeshi trader community of Eden Park to remind ECBP of the important commitment that was agreed to in Section 18 of the Main Agreement amongst local traders in January 2014.”
The audit focused on sell-by dates of goods on shelves in the community.
During the audit, 19 stores were audited and only two stores were found with two to three expired products on their shelves. The entire batch of these products was removed with immediate effect. The inspected traders received a certificate to recognise their participation, which is valid for four months.
Concerns regarding maize meal and meat shelf lives were discovered. A decision was taken between the concerned leaders and Erstcombus Projects NPC to consult regulatory bodies to find out why the long shelf life of highly sensitive, fast-moving consumable goods like meat was given.
Erstcombus Projects and the Eden Park Informal Business Forum (of which the Bangladeshi traders form part) are delighted to have taken a step in the right direction by encouraging best practices to assure community health.
“We encourage all un-audited shop owners in the boundaries of the community to follow the example,” said Rahman.
