[Source: Fijian Competition and Consumer Commission/Facebook]

The Price Monitoring and Enforcement Taskforce has uncovered a series of serious and unacceptable breaches by multiple supermarkets on the first day of its pre-festive season inspections across the Western Division.

The multi-agency Taskforce, comprising officers from the Ministry of Finance, the Fijian Competition and Consumer Commission, the Fiji Revenue & Customs Service and the Consumer Council of Fiji, conducted inspections yesterday as part of intensified efforts to safeguard consumers ahead of the festive period.

According to the Taskforce, several supermarkets were issued notices for failing to display correct price labels, with some items carrying missing or misleading pricing information. Inspectors also found expired products on shelves and recorded instances of non-compliance with the recent VAT reduction.

Notices were additionally issued for misleading promotional practices, including cases where items advertised as being on special were charged at normal prices at checkout, despite discounted prices being displayed on shelves.

Teams also reported poor store conditions such as leaking roofs, missing floor tiles, and dirty or rusted shelves and freezers.

Concerns were raised regarding meat quality, with inspectors noting missing temperature indicators and soiled frozen meat in some outlets.

The Ministry says the findings serve as a strong warning to unethical traders that attempts to exploit consumers especially during the festive season will not be tolerated.

Inspections will continue today across supermarkets in Lautoka, Ba, Tavua, Rakiraki, and Korovou.

The Ministry of Finance and its Taskforce partners have reaffirmed their commitment to protecting Fijian families from unfair trading practices and ensuring that all retailers uphold the standards required under the law.

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