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UNITED CONSUMERS: NEW ALLIANCE HOPES TO STRENGTHEN CUSTOMER RIGHTS IN ARMENIA
[ Part 2.2: "Attached Text" ]
http://armenianow.com/society/47858/consumer_rights_food_safety_armenia
SOCIETY | 19.07.13 | 15:57
Photolure
By GAYANE MKRTCHYAN
ArmeniaNow reporter
Three consumer rights organizations of Armenia are planning to form
a coalition aimed at educating citizens to become demanding consumers
who know and can stand for their rights.
The coalition members will be Armenian National Association of
Consumers, the Consumers' Union and Informed and Protected Consumer
NGO. They have decided to thoroughly study the food safety conditions,
identify the risks, carry out large-scale monitoring of the sphere.
"We have arrived at a conclusion that together we will be stronger and
will work more efficiently. We want to help our citizens to become
well-informed consumers. There is such a saying, "if a village gets
together, it can break a log" ("united we stand, divided we fall"),
meaning that if every person becomes a claimant, is aware of his/her
rights and stands up for those rights, others, too, will straighten
up. I have always said this and will keep saying that the richest of
oligarchs might one day go bankrupt because of consumers' standing
up for their rights at least to some extent. If a consumer says:
'you know what, this product is faulty so we shall not buy it', things
will start falling into their rightful places," says Melita Hakobyan,
chairing the Armenian National Association of Consumers.
The coalition-to-be has a number of objectives, among them to identify
those factors that can be damaging for health, as well as to educate
public, evoke their interest, and teach them how to protect their
own rights as consumers.
Reflecting on the food-related issues in Armenia Armen Poghosyan,
heading the Consumers' Union, says although things with food safety
are not bad, there are numerous unresolved issues.
The Consumers' Union's work with the laboratories has shown that the
main food safety issue is related to bacteriology.
"Things have to be perfectly clean and sterile, it goes not only for
the food products, but also for the given workshop's or factory's
windows, walls, the floor. And things are not really perfect in those
terms in Armenia. And if that sterility is not secured, the chances of
bacteria penetrating the food are high. Next comes the issue of food
additives, and they are used way too generously. Another shortcoming
is related to the labeling. We get cheated, we are lied to in the
most direct meaning of the word. I am talking about expiration dates,
even if the product has the dates of issuance and expiration, they
are not trustworthy. There have been cases when today's eggs have
the day after tomorrow's issuance dates," say Poghosyan.
Consumer rights advocates say although there is progress with labeling,
there are still many issues, such as the dates are very hard to read
or are ambiguous, which is the same as not having them at all. The
law in Armenia punishes absence of or inaccuracy in the issuance and
expiration dates, but there is no punishment for poorly readable ones
and that needs improvement.
[ Part 2.2: "Attached Text" ]
http://armenianow.com/society/47858/consumer_rights_food_safety_armenia
SOCIETY | 19.07.13 | 15:57
Photolure
By GAYANE MKRTCHYAN
ArmeniaNow reporter
Three consumer rights organizations of Armenia are planning to form
a coalition aimed at educating citizens to become demanding consumers
who know and can stand for their rights.
The coalition members will be Armenian National Association of
Consumers, the Consumers' Union and Informed and Protected Consumer
NGO. They have decided to thoroughly study the food safety conditions,
identify the risks, carry out large-scale monitoring of the sphere.
"We have arrived at a conclusion that together we will be stronger and
will work more efficiently. We want to help our citizens to become
well-informed consumers. There is such a saying, "if a village gets
together, it can break a log" ("united we stand, divided we fall"),
meaning that if every person becomes a claimant, is aware of his/her
rights and stands up for those rights, others, too, will straighten
up. I have always said this and will keep saying that the richest of
oligarchs might one day go bankrupt because of consumers' standing
up for their rights at least to some extent. If a consumer says:
'you know what, this product is faulty so we shall not buy it', things
will start falling into their rightful places," says Melita Hakobyan,
chairing the Armenian National Association of Consumers.
The coalition-to-be has a number of objectives, among them to identify
those factors that can be damaging for health, as well as to educate
public, evoke their interest, and teach them how to protect their
own rights as consumers.
Reflecting on the food-related issues in Armenia Armen Poghosyan,
heading the Consumers' Union, says although things with food safety
are not bad, there are numerous unresolved issues.
The Consumers' Union's work with the laboratories has shown that the
main food safety issue is related to bacteriology.
"Things have to be perfectly clean and sterile, it goes not only for
the food products, but also for the given workshop's or factory's
windows, walls, the floor. And things are not really perfect in those
terms in Armenia. And if that sterility is not secured, the chances of
bacteria penetrating the food are high. Next comes the issue of food
additives, and they are used way too generously. Another shortcoming
is related to the labeling. We get cheated, we are lied to in the
most direct meaning of the word. I am talking about expiration dates,
even if the product has the dates of issuance and expiration, they
are not trustworthy. There have been cases when today's eggs have
the day after tomorrow's issuance dates," say Poghosyan.
Consumer rights advocates say although there is progress with labeling,
there are still many issues, such as the dates are very hard to read
or are ambiguous, which is the same as not having them at all. The
law in Armenia punishes absence of or inaccuracy in the issuance and
expiration dates, but there is no punishment for poorly readable ones
and that needs improvement.