After confirming product underweight findings, the Zambia Metrology Agency – ZMA has revealed that the agency will not only stop at Nyimba and African Milling, it will extend the probe and continue to undertake inspection of other pre-packaged products across the country.
ZMA public relations manager Chola Chilumba said the public should be rest assured that the agency will not only concentrate on mealie meal inspections but inspections across other packaged product lines like cooking oil, sugar among others were concerns are being raised.
In an interview with the Zambian Business Times – ZBT, Chilumba disclosed that the recent findings of underweight products by Nyimba and African milling companies was not only through the market surveillance, but the agency also paid a visit at their milling plants.
Chilumba confirmed that it was only after the market surveillance that Africa Milling and Nyimba were found wanting. “It was after checking their products in stores that we found the underweight products but a check for underweight products at their milling plant were complaint”.
Milling and other packaging companies have been accused by members of the public of resorting to selling underweight products to increase their margins at the expense of unsuspecting customers. The public has since been urged to be alert and report all suspected cases of underweighting by some unscrupulous businesses.
On 6th of July 2022, ZMA directed Nyimba Milling Limited and African Milling to withdraw and recall their underweight bags of mealie meal from the market. ZMA has since penalized the two milling companies for distributing the stipulated underweight mealie meal bags but the penalty fees were not revealed.
Meanwhile the two companies, African Milling and Nyimba Millers Limited companies have indicated that they have since instituted inquiries into reports of underweight bags of mealie meal found on the market by the Zambia Metrology Agency. However, efforts to get details on what actions have been taken proved futile by press time.
