By Roy Denish.
Expired food Sri Lanka crackdown sees Cargills Express and Tian Yefa Traders fined for unsafe goods and misleading consumers.
Expired food Sri Lanka enforcement has placed a Cargills Express outlet and a local trading firm under legal scrutiny after authorities found unsafe and non-compliant goods for sale.
According to a report by local news outlet Sri Lanka Mirror, the Consumer Affairs Authority filed legal action against the Haldummulla branch of Cargills Express, operated by Cargills Food Company Pvt Ltd. The case followed a raid that found expired biscuits, chocolates and cashew nuts on the store’s shelves.
The Bandarawela Magistrate’s Court fined the company 200,000 rupees after it pleaded guilty to breaching the Consumer Affairs Authority Act.
Expired Food Sri Lanka Probe Expands
Meanwhile, the Consumer Affairs Authority also secured a separate prosecution against Tian Yefa Traders Private Limited over deceptive consumer practices.
Investigators seized several non-compliant products from the trader. These included packaged chicken and bread products without manufacturer, importer or batch details. Officials also confiscated packaged food items without purchase invoices, brown sugar without mandatory Sri Lanka Standards certification and expired food products.
The Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court imposed a total fine of 600,000 rupees on Tian Yefa Traders. The firm received six separate penalties of 100,000 rupees each. The court also ordered officials to destroy all seized goods immediately.
Sri Lankan consumer rights officials have urged the public to report retailers selling expired merchandise or charging above state-regulated price limits.
