THE Lusaka City Council (LCC) has destroyed 383 cases of expired Amstel Lager and 83 cases of Blue Band margarine.
The products were destroyed on Tuesday following a court order by the Lusaka Magistrate Court dated November, 5 2021 to destroy the goods as they were expired at the time of seizure by the local authority.
On July 24, this year, LCC seized 383 cases of Amstel lager and 83 x 12 1kg tubs of Blue Band margarine that was found in an unfinished building in Lusaka’s Kanyama township.
This was after a tip off from the alert members of the public that a resident of Lusaka’s Kanyama township, was purchasing expired and nearly expired products and altering their expiry date before re-selling them to unsuspecting members of the public.
LCC public relations officer Emmanuel Lupikisha said the seizure was conducted in line with Liquor Licensing Act No. 20 of 2011 and the Food Safety Act No. 7 of 2019.
“Members of the Public should be alert and report all cases of such nature to the local authority so that public health is protected,” Mr. Lupikisha said in a statement.
He warned people who are in habit of altering expiry dates and those selling expired products that the local authority will catch up with them very soon.
Mr. Lupikisha said the local authority would continue to monitor, inspect and seize all products that will be deemed not fit for public consumption.
Meanwhile LCC has cleared historic waste from the Bauleni Ground in Bauleni Township which has been accumulating for a long period.
LCC assistant public relations manager Thelma Mbewe said the waste has been cleared as part of the 10 day waste clearing programme in partnership with AVIC International.
“The waste at the Bauleni Ground has accumulated due to indiscriminate disposal of waste by households, marketers, businesses and illegal waste collectors around the area. With the onset of the rainy season the local authority has intensified clearing of waste in the District to mitigate diseases and flooding,” Ms Mbewe said.
She disclosed LCC had so far cleared waste in five constituencies, with yesterday’s exercise being the sixth constituency as the 10 day programme nears its conclusion.
And Lusaka Central Member of Parliament Mulambo Haimbe called on cooperating partners to support LCC with waste collection around the District.
“We are glad to have Avic International who have come along and provided us with seven tipper trucks and a front end loader, he said,” Mr. Haimbe said.
He added that with the onset of the rainy season, if the waste was not collected, the waste would become a breeding ground for diseases such as cholera and noted that Bauleni township had not been spared from the disease in the last few years.
Photo Credit: LCC
