The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has called on the nation’s bakery and confectionery operators to adhere to quality standards in their production processes, insisting that prevailing economic circumstances and cost pressures should not be an excuse to cut corners or compromise the health and safety of consumers.
The Executive Vice Chairman of the agency, Mr Tunji Bello, gave the charge at a stakeholders’ engagement with operators in the nation’s bakery and confectionery sector in Lagos on Tuesday.
Bello, who was represented by the South-West Zonal Coordinator, Lagos Office, Dr Olubunmi Otti, stated that when input costs rise, businesses cannot resort to unsafe substitutes, harmful or prohibited additives, poor-quality ingredients, compromised hygiene, manipulated expiry information or other shortcuts that transfer commercial risks to consumers.
The FCCPC boss insisted that while businesses were entitled to respond to changing economic conditions through legitimate commercial decisions, it would be wrong for them to ‘legitimately’ deceive or endanger consumers.
He added that operators were required to observe rules and prohibitions regarding particular ingredients, additives, labelling practices and production methods, as prescribed by regulators.
“The consumer cannot become the shock absorber for every difficulty confronting the producer. Businesses are entitled to respond to changing economic conditions through legitimate commercial decisions. What they cannot legitimately do is deceive or endanger consumers,” he stated.
Bello also urged operators in the sector to ensure that their products were properly labelled, since consumers were entitled to rely on the information contained on the labels.
He explained that the forum was designed to provide all stakeholders in the sector with an opportunity to exchange views and ensure that operations were carried out in accordance with stipulated rules and regulations.
According to him, under the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act (FCCPA), a business’s communication to its consumers through labelling remained significant, regardless of where such information appeared.
“If you state that a loaf of bread has a particular weight, that information should be accurate. If you state that a product contains particular ingredients, the contents should correspond with that representation.
“Where information concerning production dates, shelf life, allergens, storage or other material characteristics is required by applicable law, regulation or standard, it must be provided as required and must not mislead the consumer,” he added.
The FCCPC boss stated that the FCCPA prohibited false or incorrect representations, representations that were materially misleading or likely to mislead, and representations that were erroneous, fraudulent or deceptive in the promotion or marketing of goods and services.
In his presentation, the Industry Representative and CEO of Food.Dot.Com Academy Services, Mr Razaq Oke, stressed the need for stakeholders in the industry, including regulators, operators and consumers, to collaborate to ensure that standards were strictly adhered to.
According to him, the nation’s food and confectionery sector was too large to be left to industry regulators alone.
“A lot of unwholesome acts go on in the sector, especially in the production process and labelling. That is why I’ll call on everyone of us to say something whenever they see something. This is the only way to help the regulators function effectively since they cannot be everywhere at the same time,” he added.