Inspection of shops to resume in region

 THE Independent Consumer and Competition Commission (ICCC) will resume its Southern Region inspections of supermarkets this month.

The exercise will target all supermarkets that use scales to  sell freezer goods, fruits, vegetables and includes  all  weighing  and measuring  equipment  that  are  used for  the distribution of wholesale and retail of goods. 

Inspections will start in Port Moresby and will be rolled out to other Southern Region provinces overtime.

ICCC Commissioner and chief executive Paulus Ain said: “It is important to understand that a correctly calibrated scale provides certainty to the trader that they are complying with the law. It also provides a degree of confidence to consumers that they are correctly charged for the price they pay.”

The ICCC is working closely with the National Institute for Standards and Industrial Technology (NISIT) to ensure shops understand the different function performed by both agencies.

“NISIT calibrates all weights, measures, weighing instruments and other measuring instruments consistent with the set requirements of Legal Metrology.  This is to   ensure that   weighing instruments such as scales are operating within set standards.”

Supermarket scale inspections by the ICCC are scheduled periodically and often done at the request of the trader. 

ICCC inspectors check the scales using set standards of Legal Metrology to ensure these are functioning correctly as required by law. This work is carried out through the four ICCC regional offices in Kokopo, Goroka, Lae and Port Moresby.

Ain said: “Supermarket scales that pass the ICCC inspection are stamped with a silver sticker. The sticker indicates the date of inspection and is placed on the scale where it must be visible to both the customer and the trader. 

“The trader is issued a certificate which authorizes them to use the scale and indicates the date of the next inspection.” 

He added that scales that failed the test could not be used.