21 liquor companies under investigation

The Competition and Fair Trading Commission of Malawi (CFTC) is investigating 21 liquor companies for supplying products which are hazardous to people’s health.

According to a public notice released by CFTC on Tuesday, the investigations have been induced by  complaints the commission has been receiving claiming that spirits, liquor, gin and whisky which are alcoholic beverages produced by these companies do not have standard certification marks on their packaging.

The commission will investigate on whether or not the products will likely cause injury to health or physical harm and whether or not, the companies’ products conform to prescribed consumer safety standards.

Some of the companies under investigation are Premier Cane Spirits, Cheers Distributors, Global Beverages Limited and Bwenzi Group Limited.

“The Competition and Fair Trading Commission is interested in the matter as it appears to raise serious concerns under the Competition and Fair Trading Act (CFTA) and the Consumer Protection Act (CPA),” says the statement.

The commission has however advised Malawians to note that “commencement of investigations neither presupposes that any of the companies under investigation have violated the law.”

CFTC has since called on Malawians to furnish it with any information they may have on the companies under investigation.

Competition and consumer protection laws in Malawi make it mandatory for all goods produced in Malawi to undergo conformance assessment, testing and certification by appropriate certification bodies such as the Malawi Bureau of Standards. The absence of certification marks on a product packaging do not only raise concerns on the suitability of the product for human consumption, but also whether the product meets Malawi standards.