STEWART...I like speaking out for the consumer. (Photos: Karl McLarty)

MONTH after month he lobbies for consumers' rights... unpaid.

For Carlton Stewart, the president of the National Consumers League (NCL), it is the intrinsic rewards that motivate him. Stepping inside his office on Beechwood Avenue - a small, sparsely furnished, wooden structure where he works along with two paid staffers - provides sufficient evidence that he is not about making money.

"I like speaking out for the consumer," he told Thursday Life. "The league is a totally voluntary organisation that operates strictly for the consumer. It gets its support from fund-raising events or members pooling in contributions. I do not receive a dollar for being here. The Government contributes a stipend that goes towards paying the office help."

The NCL - a non-partisan, non-denominational organisation - was founded in 1966 with an initial focus on helping local consumers balance their budgets. Today, with 1,640 members (including 15 voluntary executive members and 25 council members) the scope of the NCL has widened to include the monitoring of prices, food quality, intellectual property rights as well as providing advice to consumers.

"We have widened our scope, mainly because we realise that everything affects the consumer," said Stewart, who joined the league as a regular member in 1987 before becoming operations manager, then treasurer. In July 2004, he became the president of the league, continuing the work of past presidents Vie Mendez, Dorothy Dyce, Tess Thomas, Joyce Campbell, Shirley Maynier-Burke, Frank Gordon and Doreen Kirkcaldy.

But Stewart has a lot on his mind these days.
One of his main concerns is the issue of genetically modified food which he says is proudly displayed on shelves, many times with labels that do not reveal the truth about the actual contents of the packages.

"The scientific community through the National Commission of Science and Technology (NCST) has developed a draft policy on biotechnology. In this draft it is suggested to the Government to take one part of the country and develop that part in terms of biotechnology and genetic engineering," he explained.

"I know and all studies show that biotechnology does not coexist with other technologies because it contaminates genetically. If that happens, all agriculture will be contaminated," he said.

"All of Europe and most of the rest of the world don't want this food," he fumed. "Consumers don't want it. They (Government and producers) are not informing consumers. They are not labelling the products (properly) so the consumers don't know what they are eating and therefore cannot avoid it."

He explained that the draft document has to go to Parliament for approval.

"To me, it seems they might pass it. Because once the US wants certain things done, and since they are the ones with the money, then what they say seems to hold with our Government and scientific community. But a lot of people worldwide are concerned about it. "Genetically modified foods can make one sick," he added. "So we have a right to know what alterations are being done to the foods we eat. We have a right to know as consumers."

He said the NCL is "not fighting against technology, but consumers need to know what they are consuming," he said, noting that many countries are now testing food for safety because of the proliferation of genetically modified foods.
"We have not even looked at going down that road," Stewart added.

Stewart admits that at times he feels like a lone voice shouting in the wind. The world is changing... and changing fast. Industries are expanding. Marketers are becoming more creative. And, more than ever, consumers' concerns are being ignored. So, even with the establishment of the Consumer's Act and an actively running Consumer Affairs Commission, Stewart still sees a gap to fill.

"We cannot slack off on our job to defend the consumers," he said.

He said the aim now is for the league to champion the eight rights of the consumer as established by the Act - the right to basic needs, right to safety, right to be informed, right to choose, right to be heard, right to redress, right to consumer education and the right to a healthy environment.

-husseyd@jamaicaobserver.com

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