By BRIAN HATYOKA –

THE Zambia Bureau of Standards (ZABS) has confiscated 82 expired packages of Tender Rite diapers and two packages of another brand, Baby Love, each containing 52 diapers.
The Bureau has also confiscated 76 bars of skin lightening soaps and 73 bottles of assorted body lotions in Livingstone all valued at approximately K3,050.
ZABS head of marketing and public relations Hazel Zulu said the consignment was confiscated from Cosmetic Cave along Mosi-O-Tunya Road in Livingstone.
Ms Zulu said in a statement at the weekend that the 82 Tender Rite packages contained 10 diapers each.
“Acting on a customer complaint received on March 24, 2015, the Bureau on the same day inspected the shop and found that the shop owners were selling expired products ranging from baby diapers, bath soaps and body lotions, some of which had expired from as far back as 2013.
“The soaps are going by the brand names, Herbal Skin Doctor, JeuneFille, Hollywood Beauty, Bio-Claire, Block White, Body White and Diva Maxima,” Ms Zulu said.
She named other products as Maxi Light, Cocoderm, Fair & White and Super Baby face while the lotions have brand names such as Vest line, Elegance Clear, Sois Claire, G&G, and Top Society.
“Once again ZABS would like to take this opportunity to warn manufacturers and traders that selling of expired products is a violation of the standards Act Cap 416 of the laws of Zambia which may result in them losing their permit to supply.
‘As you know, once a product is expired, the quality of that product cannot be guaranteed, it is compromised and it is a danger to the health and safety of the user,” she said.
ZABS has since urged the traders to ensure that they have an effective stock rotation plan or schedule to ensure that the stocks in their warehouses are sold on First in First out basis to avoid keeping goods that have expired, due to poor warehousing practices.
Consumers also must always check the expiry dates of the products they are purchasing and always insist on getting a receipt for every purchase as proof of payment.
Ms Zulu said ZABS had been consistent with the message that consumers should be quality conscious and make it their priority to read product information.
The confiscated products would be disposed of according to the required regulations for disposal by incineration.