KINGSTON, Jamaica – The National Compliance and Regulatory Authority (NCRA) has called on the public to play a greater role in protecting their consumer interests by being more vigilant and observant when shopping.

“Consumers are urged to make note of labels, especially the expiry date and appearance of products, and make a complaint to the NCRA when establishments do not comply with the standards,” the four-year-old government body, which was established to ensure consumer safety, said in a press release on Wednesday.

To support these efforts, NCRA said that in addition to ramping up its operational and enforcement activities, it will also embark on a comprehensive public education campaign in 2020, to expand awareness among Jamaican consumers and retailers of the existing standards.

NCRA issued the release in response to reports and comments elsewhere in the media last week-end, which suggested that the Authority was not meeting its obligations as an auxiliary of the Bureau of Standards Jamaica.

One report claimed that a random survey of supermarkets in the Kingston Metropolitan Region, including the community of Portmore, had revealed a wide range of expired or nearly expired, products openly displayed for sale.

NCRA CEO, Lorice Edwards Brown, said that since its founding, the Authority has diligently worked towards ensuring that products bought and consumed by Jamaicans conform with all established standards, both those created locally and those which have emerged as international standards to which Jamaica subscribes.

However, she admitted that, given the rapid pace of expansion of retail and wholesale commerce, locally, the Authority has faced some challenges in regulating the constantly expanding number of establishments.

“The NCRA takes its role in the preservation of the health and well-being of all Jamaican citizens very seriously, which is why we are currently undertaking several structural and capacity-building reforms to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of how we carry out our core responsibilities,” she added.

Balford Henry