Thank you, MBS! Let us all be vigilant against expired products, unhygienic spaces!

By Janet karim

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.” — Matthew 23:25-26

The Malawi Bureau of standards (MBS) this week closed some heavyweight international shopping centers due to unhygienic conditions and expired goods. This is a sure show that the local government agency (our national standards bulldog) has exercised its use of teeth that will safeguard the Malawi people’s health and rights. Any business enterprise taking advantage or attempting to circumvent conventional national and international standards, must be brought to light, and dealt with, according to the laws of the land.

According to local media reports, the MBS “closed the Sana shops in three major cities of Malawi due to poor hygienic conditions and the selling of expired products.: the reports stated that MBS officials inspected different shops in Blantyre, Lilongwe, and Mzuzu, and observed various anomalies. They specified these to be visible at Sana shops.

According to the officials, they found the Blantyre Sana Cash and Carry branch located in the Blantyre City Centre was ordered to be closed due to the selling of expired products and a lack of hygienic practices, while the Limbe branch was closed due to poor hygiene in the toilets.

Three Sana shops were closed in Lilongwe. In the Northern Region, the Katoto Sana SuperStore has been closed for the same reasons of hygiene and the selling of expired products.

In its nationwide sweep, the MBS did not spare giants in the consumer service industry. The agency is reported to have temporarily closed down two major Shoprite stores in Blantyre and Lilongwe also “due to consistent poor hygienic practices and the selling of expired products that were poorly packaged.”

A big bravo to the agency for this clout, which is part of its mandate. The Malawi Bureau of Standards (MBS ), has existed since the one-party rule under former President Kamuzu Banda; it “is a member of the International Bureau of Standards, and promotes conformity with internationally accepted standards. MBS prescribes and enforces product standardization in Malawi. All products manufactured locally for export must obtain certification before export.”

The MBS activities in the three major regions is a great move, such adherence to mandates are stipulated into national laws as ways of keeping Malawians safe in what they buy, use, and especially consume.

Malawians and residents, on their part, also have a role to play in the MBS mandate. The first is “don’t buy outdated products,” even if the price is reduced. The second is every person living in Malawi (citizens, non-citizens, and residents, visitors), should report to the Bureau any outdated products. (protect your family — cheap is not always the best!). Please report to MBS any non-complying products!

Meanwhile, MBS communications officer Wazamazama Katatu said the Bureau closed the shops due to non-compliance with hygiene standards and that “the shops will only be opened once the hygiene concerns have been addressed.”

Many Malawians welcomed this brave move and encouraged the MBS to continue and bring the book to other consumer service organizations operating in Malawi.

“It is about time the people operating shops in the country respect us by bringing here goods that are not expired and also operate in clean surroundings. Malawi should not be looked at as a ‘Dump Pit’ for goods and products that are not good or sellable in another country,” one gentleman in Blantyre told me.

“While we love cheap or cheaper goods, they are not healthy for our families if they are expired,” a Lilongwe-based woman said. She said she supports the MBS exercise and encourages other mandate holders to do the same.

“They must support us, by protecting us,” she said.

The MBS actions are a super pathway to the safe living of all Malawians and residents in a modern world!