A section of residents has expressed concern that “some suppliers and retailers are involved in the distribution and sale of foodstuff whose weight is manipulated to serve their interests”.
Of late, there have been a number of complaints on social media from such residents, who claim that some locally repacked foodstuff sold at select supermarkets and groceries weigh less than what is mentioned on the packet.
Consumers want the authorities concerned – the Ministry of Economy and Commerce (MEC) and the Qatar General Authority for Standardisation and Metrology at the Ministry of Municipality and Environment – to take co-ordinated action and step up inspections at retail outlets and storehouses of suppliers to curb this practice.
Products such as cooking powder, spices and grams, among others, are often imported in large quantities and then repacked locally for sale in different retail outlets, it is learnt. Alleging foul play, some residents say consumers are often taken for a ride by altering the weight of such products.
These products are packed in such a way that a weight reduction, if any, will not be a glaring one and is most likely to be missed by the buyer. However, sometimes people get suspicious and check the weight using scales available at home or other shops run by acquaintances, say sources.
A consumer said he found a weight difference of 10-15% in some packed foodstuff, particularly cooking powders for daily preparations, that he had bought one day after becoming suspicious. He sought a friend’s assistance to get the weight verified.
Many residents, however, said they were not sure who to approach with such grievances. While some were aware of the MEC’s efforts to protect consumer rights and the communication channels it provided to lodge complaints, others said the matter could require the intervention of weights and measures officials at the Qatar General Authority for Standardisation and Metrology.
Calling for co-ordination between such entities, residents said regular inspections of scales used in groceries could help detect more violations and the evidence could then be used to reach the source of the manipulation.
When metrology officials of the region met in Doha towards the end of last year for the Gulf Metrology Forum, a number of delegates stressed the need for a stringent policy to address the issue of manipulation of weighing systems. They urged the authorities to intervene in the matter and rein in errant establishments.
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