MOKOKCHUNG, APRIL 19 (MExN): The Mokokchung Town Lanur Telongjem (MTLT) has expressed concern over the sale of expired goods, particularly packaged edibles, in shops in Mokokchung town.
A press release issued by the MTLT on Thursday said it has been receiving numerous complaints from consumers who were unfortunate enough to purchase edible goods that had passed the ‘best before date.
Even the MTLT members, being consumers, had also experienced such incidents where the shopkeepers knowingly or unknowingly sold expired goods over the counter, it said.
While acknowledging that that the general public of Mokokchung town are informed and educated consumers to some extent; however, there are many unaware businessmen from the villages and nearby urban settlements who buy goods in bulk to be sold in their respective areas.
Towards this, the MTLT has expressed grave concern about the well-being and general health of the innocent consumers who might unknowingly buy the expired goods and consume it.
In this connection, the MTLT also informed that it had written to the Mokokchung ADC (who is also the Administrator of the Mokokchung Municipal Council) to take immediate stock of the situation and take corrective measures.
Maintaining that general public health is of outmost concern for every individual, group or government agencies, the MTLT said the risk posed to the public health due to sale and consumption of expired goods cannot be undermined; more so, the negligence on the part of the concerned authority in checking such anomalies cannot be tolerated in any manner.
It therefore hoped that the Mokokchung Municipal Council (MMC) tackle the matter with all seriousness and educate the shopkeepers as well as the consumers on such topics and initiate corrective measures in a time bound manner.
The MTLT also encouraged the concerned authorities to take punitive measures against the defaulting business enterprises that compromise the health of the public. It pointed out that the MTLT has been receiving complaints from different quarters over the past couple of months about the sale of expired goods in the town.
The MTLT meantime cautioned that as consumers and also stakeholders of the society, it would keep a strict vigil on the sale of such expired goods.
It has advised the general public to at least look at the manufacture date and the expiry dates (or the best before dates) while buying any packaged or pharmaceutical items, lest their health is affected.
