Past the sell-by date

A decision by Woermann Brock to open a shop that sells products that have passed their ‘Best Before’ or sell-by dates and Namibia’s lack of a food-safety law or consumer protection law have put the spotlight on when foods are still fit for human consumption and whether consumers and retailers are treading on dangerous ground.
Following revelations of a shop selling food that have passed their ‘Best Before’ date, Namibian Sun investigated whether there is enough protection for consumers when purchasing such products.
For many ordinary people, Best Before is synonymous with expiry date, a perception that was rejected by Woermann Brock this week, with the retailer saying the passing of a Best Before date does not mean that food products are unfit for human consumption.
On most food products, the date is often printed in black and in small print.

Best Before explained

Upon enquiry, Michael Gawaseb from the Namibia Consumer Trust explained the concept of Best Before, and why in relation to Namibia, it will likely only benefit retailers and not the consumer. “Best Before and sell-by dates are for consumer discretion if they should consume or not. Not all food is safe after these dates,” Gawaseb explained.
According to him, industrialised countries use Best Before dates mostly to curb food wastage, and not necessarily for profit purposes. “On top of that, such things are regulated in those countries,” he said.
On whether selling these products is more beneficial for the consumer or retailer, Gaweseb said with the lack of literacy in Namibia, it could be more beneficial for the business than for the consumer to sell these products.
He explains that there are legal loopholes in Namibia. “There is no food-safety law or comprehensive consumer protection law.”
Gawaseb said there is a food-safety policy, but that it is inadequate without a law.
Namibian Sun received a complaint from a reader who said he had sent his child to a shop to buy a few things last week. Upon the child’s return, it appeared all the foods had passed their Best Before dates.
When Namibian Sun arrived at the shop, situated in Khomas Grove Mall, a shop attendant in a Woermann Brock uniform was standing behind the counter, while another man in a Woermann Brock uniform was pushing a trolley with what appeared to be more expired foods.
While walking around the shop, Namibian Sun asked the attendant why the food seemed slightly cheaper than the normal prices, to which she responded that it was because it was “expired”.
“It is German food, but they are expired so they are nice and cheap,” she said.
Pretending to want to buy things, every item Namibian Sun checked had passed its Best Before date.
The foods range from olives to chocolates and sweets, with some looking visibly old.
Some of the Best Before dates were as far back as 2014.
The little shop has no name on it, and there is no sign informing consumers that it sells food that had passed its Best Before date. It is this that irked the reader who contacted Namibian Sun.
Woermann Brock regional manager Willie Bierman defended the retailer’s decision to sell these products, saying that the Best Before date is not the same as an expiry date.
He said the products in the shop were approved by health inspectors as fit for human consumption. Asked about the fact that some of the products passed that date as far back as 2014, he said that did not mean the products had expired.
“For sure it has been tested. Even the ministry of poverty eradication has shown interest in buying those products,” he said.


GORDON JOSEPH