The Zambia Compulsory Standards Agency (ZCSA) has taken action against various products falling under Compulsory Standards in the Copperbelt, North-Western, and Luapula Provinces, resulting in the quarantine of items valued at approximately K490,000. These products were supplied to the market without proper authorization from the Agency, as mandated by the Compulsory Standards Act No.3 of 2017.
During market surveillance inspections last week, the ZCSA identified a range of products, including fruit-flavored drinks, opaque beer, potable spirits, mealie meal, and bottled drinking water, among others, valued at K489,050.62. The quarantine measures were implemented to ensure ongoing compliance with the Compulsory Standards regulations.
In Ndola, the ZCSA seized 9,984 bottles of bottled drinking water, 1,751 bottles of potable spirits, 146 bottles of fruit-flavored drinks, and 267 crates of opaque beer from various locations.
In Solwezi, the Agency quarantined 2,285 bottles of potable spirits, which included Gilberts Gin, Kremlin Vodka, Vintage Gold Superior, Three Growns, and Sundowner.
In Kitwe, 556 bags of mealie meal were quarantined, while in Mansa, 105 bottles of Gilberts Gin, Kremlin Vodka, Vintage Gold Superior, Three Growns, and Sundowner were seized.
In addition to the above actions, the ZCSA also encountered a separate incident in Lusaka Province on July 19, 2023. During their routine inspections in Makeni and Chawama Townships, ZCSA officers discovered a light truck offloading bales of used textile products. Upon inspection, six out of 13 bales were found to contain used undergarments, which are prohibited under the Compulsory Standard Zambian Standard (ZS) 559. This standard restricts the importation and sale of used textile products containing items such as pyjamas, nightgowns, pants, brassieres, camisoles, and vests, due to potential health hazards.
The ZCSA warned importers and traders against supplying products within the scope of compulsory standards without proper authorization, as doing so poses risks to consumers’ health and safety. The Agency encourages the public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious products on the market.
As a statutory body under the Ministry of Commerce, Trade, and Industry (MCTI), the Zambia Compulsory Standards Agency is committed to ensuring public safety, health, consumer protection, and environmental preservation through the enforcement and education of compulsory standards across the country.
Why are prohibited goods not stopped at border points before there’s even a remote chance of someone buying them before they are taken off the market? If used shirts are allowed, why not used pyjamas?