y midyear, inflation had reached 19%, according to rights agency the Consumer Council of Zimbabwe, pushing the price of food beyond people's pockets. Photo: Getty Images
When Irene Shumba found what she thought were choice sausages at a ridiculously low price at a Bulawayo supermarket, she could not believe her luck.
It was a mouth-watering bargain, she said. But on closer inspection, she noticed that the expiry date of the sausages was that same day.
“There were piles and piles of sausages in the supermarket fridge,” Shumba said.
In the past consumers could afford to buy the food they fancied, but as economic reality bites, some dishes remain distant aromas and cheap food is part of every bargain hunter’s shop hopping.
The regular price of half a kilo of the sausages considered a luxury by employed people such as teachers and doctors are priced at around USD4, the reduced price was a little more than US$1, highlighting the supermarket’s rush to dispose of the perishables and recoup what it could.
At another supermarket aisle, canned food with expired dates idled on the shelves.
Multiple calls to the country’s leading supermarkets to get insights into what they do with expired food were not returned.
While some outlets put huge discounts on some of the perishables approaching their expiry date, others leave them on the shelves with unwitting customers buying such goods.
Breaking the law
“We have noted the sale of products that have reached their best before date, while some shops deface original stickers, extending shelf life of products against laws of land,” said Rosemary Mpofu, acting chief executive of the Consumer Council of Zimbabwe (CCZ).
“Major retail shops, in most cases when such products’ shelf life is nearer ,put them on promotions fearing prosecution and deceptive practices such as adding expired goods in food baskets for promotions.”
Zimbabwean authorities are making efforts to ease doing business in the country by ostensibly creating an environment that will spur economic growth, but inflation is still hitting triple digits.
By midyear, inflation had reached 19%, according to rights agency the Consumer Council of Zimbabwe, pushing the price of food beyond people’s pockets. The World Bank has estimated that for 2022, Zimbabwe’s year on year inflation will hit 321%.
In a June 2022 financial report, OK Zimbabwe, one of the largest supermarket chains in the country, noted that inflation “undermines profitability and attractiveness of Zimbabwe as an investment destination”, ripples that are being felt across all economic activity.
Basic commodities too expensive
Consumers are bearing the brunt of the economic downturn, shunning basic commodities as prices soar but with incomes remaining stagnant.
Large supermarkets stocking both local and imported perishables are counting their losses amid eroded consumer spending, with supermarket employees lamenting that they too cannot afford the food they are selling.
“These are tough times. I’m failing to buy the things we stock no matter how tempting,” a cashier at a leading supermarket said.
As goods expire on shelves, people’s eating habits are adjusted in the midst of competing needs such as rent, school fees and transport.
“To prevent the unlawful sale of expired goods two things are required. The first is to ensure thorough enforcement of the Consumer Protection Act. Unfortunately the Consumer Protection Commission is unable to do its job owing to lack of funding, which has left it under-staffed,” said Effie Ncube, spokesperson of the National Consumer Rights Association.
“Secondly, the government should address the root causes of the economic crisis that has led to runaway inflation, lack of incomes, and general price volatility.”
Malnutrition
The United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) has raised concerns about nutritional deficiencies in Zimbabwe, presenting the country’s “biggest challenges [which have] created the largest burdens on the health system”.
In July, the Consumer Council of Zimbabwe said it could not calculate the average amount required for a monthly food basket, citing price volatility.
But what has also spelled tough times for the country’s major supermarkets are informal shops in Zimbabwe’s central business districts, selling cheap imported perishables such as canned beef and fish and an assortment of other edibles.
“It’s cheaper buying on the streets, if you have the money,” said Basil Fuyane, a government employee.
“I’m also aware of the quality of cheap food but when you have to eat you forgo all those concerns,” he said, expressing a common sentiment where nutrition choices have been overtaken by the depth of one’s pockets.
Although experts emphasise that food found in supermarket shelves must meet international standards of consumption safety, consumers are still not likely to be aware of those requirements when those choices are already compromised by lack of purchasing power.
“Products must comply with any label declarations of nutritional data,” said Desmond Mugadza, chair of the Food Science department at the Midlands State University. “As long as food has not exceeded the stipulated limits, the consumer remains safe, but once the commodity has passed its shelf life, it must be scientifically proven that it is safe to consume.”
Consumers such as Fuyane admit they have never checked the nutritional data of the food they purchase. “I am not aware of anyone who checks that besides maybe the expiry date.”
Food assistance
The World Food Programme says up to 3.8 million people in Zimbabwe require food assistance, with the number expected to grow in the coming year as a result of anticipated poor grain harvests.
Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube’s $4.5 trillion budget announced last week has done little to ease consumer concerns — particularly after he reintroduced import duty for basic commodities.
The duty was suspended in May this year in what the authorities said was a move meant to curb inflation but, as the year ends, inflation remains untamed, with the World Bank warning that food price instability will continue into the coming year.
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