Producers’ group decries persistent presence of non-compliant vegetable oil in markets.

The body disclosed its indignation over the persistent phenomenon Tuesday in Yaounde. This was during a press conference held at the association’s headquarters in the Mbandoumou neighbourhood, on the outskirts of Yaounde.

It was the Secretary General of ASROC, Kemleu Tchabgou Jacqquis, who fielded questions from journalists during Tuesday’s presser. This was in the presence of a representative consumer protection organisations.

When Kemleu Jacquis who is also CPDM Mayor of the Dschang Council took the floor Tuesday, he first disclosed to journalists, measures being taken by his organisation to ensure the availability of vegetable oil and soap in good quantity and quality.

He had also dispelled rumours of a potential scarcity of the essential products during the forthcoming festive period.

Kemleu said together with government, through the Ministry of Trade, measures were being taken to ensure that prices of refined vegetable oil and soap are maintained.

Turning to what appears to have prompted Tuesday’s meeting with newsmen, Kemleu regretted what he described as the recurrent circulation of vegetable oil that don’t conform with the regulations in place.

The ASROC scribe cited the non-respect of decision No.488/MINFI/DGD of March 27, 2009, setting the reference price for the taxation of vegetable oil imported into Cameroon which aims at reducing the poorly declared imports with regard to the cost structure of the refined vegetable oils produced as well as protecting and developing the local processing industries.

The politician and businessman said the actions of the fraudulent business persons was an attack on the local industries.

He was blunt that their actions were in “Violation of Standard NC 04: 2000-20 relating to the labeling of prepackaged foodstuffs in Cameroon which allows the consumer to be informed about the origin of a product, its nature, its dates of manufacture and expiry date, method of use etc”.

He continued that it was also in: “Violation of Law No.96/11 of August 5, 1996 relating to standardisation, which enabled the launch of ANOR in 2009 and which provides in its article 18 and 19 for sanctions relating to violation of standards made compulsory”.

Kemleu Jacquis cited the framework Law No.2011/012 of May 6, 2011, on consumer protection in Cameroon which highlights in its article 3(a) the national consumer protection policy which is inspired by the principle of consumer protection according to which consumers have the right to the protection of life, health, safety and the environment in the consumption of technologies, goods or services.

Kemleu who drove into Yaounde from Dschang, was categorical that “these fundamental texts which govern the Cameroonian economic environment have not been repealed. This raises questions about the imports and marketing of non-compliant refined vegetable oils which are currently being sold in Cameroon, seriously threatening the health of consumers, creating unfair competition with those produced regularly and of good quality and also undermining the National Economy and the Environment”.

Speaking further on the issue, Kemleu bemoaned the fact that the said non-compliant oils, the majority of which are unfit for consumption, have recently been mixed with those of good quality produced locally and even imported.

He said the oils which are of doubtful quality are “…subsequently sold in non-traceable packaging , that is to say having no indication to inform the government and the consumer…exposing the latter to cancer, sterility etc. This is what justifies that they are today the subject of a ban on being marketed and a withdrawal from the Cameroonian commercial space by the market policeman that is the Ministry of Trade via its National Fraud Control and Repression Brigade, in accordance with current regulations”. 

“Ultimately, it is a question of removing these oils known to be dangerous from the visual field of consumers,” he concluded.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3304 of Thursday November 28, 2024