SA shelves 'not safe'

2003-07-01 09:50

Ina Opperman

Johannesburg - South Africa lags far behind the United States, Europe and the Far East when it comes to tamper-free packaging and much more can be done to ensure that consumers here buy safe products.

So said two experts on Monday after it emerged that an extortionist was threatening Pick 'n Pay with poison in the company's products.

Giles Treasure, managing director of Tamperpak, a company that makes plastic wrapping that shows immediately if it's been tampered with, said that many products on our shelves were not tamper proof compared to other countries.

"Pharmaceutical and cosmetic products are generally difficult to tamper with, but other products such as sauces and jams can easily be opened in the shop," he said.

Packaging consultant Clive Glover said plasic coverings over lids immediately showed if a product had been tampered with, but this method was expensive and not always an option for manufacturers in developing countries such as South Africa.

"For example, maize meal can easily be tampered with, but it's not cost-effective for manufacturers to make their packaging tamper free.

"Nor is it that difficult to tamper with a tin, because consumers aren't always that observant," he said.

Older shoppers or people with ailments such as arthritis would also prefer packaging which was easy to open, in contrast to consumers who want products to be as safe as possible,

- Beeld