From health safety of a product to price – inspection controls are intensified in the summer period. Citizens buy perishable products with caution. In the inspection, they note that it is necessary to be careful. On the other hand, citizens’ complaints refer not so much to quality as to the irregularity of prices.
The analysis of perishable foods was intensified in the summer period. The budget funds of the City of Bijeljina are intended to test 372 samples. For each positive result, a misdemeanor order follows.
“The fines for legal entities are from 2 to 10.000 BAM, for the responsible person it is 1.000, for the entrepreneur also 1.000 BAM. Also, for the positive samples we take, the fines are the same”, explains Javorka Tokanovic, food inspector of the City of Bijeljina.
However, sellers very often, in order to avoid the rent of grocery stalls – most often homemade cheese, cream, milk and eggs sell on the sidewalks and places that are not intended for this, despite warnings and draconian fines.
“For cheese and cream, as easily perishable foods, refrigerated display cases must be provided and it must be known who is selling what and where,” stresses Tokanovic.
The consumer association, on the other hand, says that, fortunately, they have not had any complaints from citizens about food spoilage, but they have complaints about the prices every day.
“That exists, especially when it comes to “promotions”. The law provides precisely that the goods that are on sale must be physically separated from the goods that are on regular sale. Especially when there are discounts, in that case, in addition to the price for which when selling goods, the previous price must also be written, how much the discount is and the final price. But you have a way that retailers use, when they say “discounts are at the checkout” and you look at the product and have no idea what its price is and when you get to the checkout, then you are shocked,” told Jovan Vasilic, president of the “Zvono” consumer association in Bijeljina.
The Association also warns against the tricks of traders when it comes to discounts. Of the four important dates related to discounts during the year, two are in August.
“These sales will now be in August, summer and you see – now in this period there is a price increase and then suddenly there is a big discount, and there is nothing from that discount. It is, in fact, at the price at which you would buy it in a normal sales,” adds Vasilic.
According to the Consumers’ Association, companies from the European Union (EU) must not enter into unfair provisions in contracts with consumers. And the consumer has the right to change his mind. In our country, it is regulated in such a way that the consumer has the right to change his mind within 14 days, however, the consumer often cannot exercise that right.
