ACCORDING TO PCR NGO’S CHAIRMAN, SHORT WEIGHT GIVING SCALES USED IN
STREET TRADE
YEREVAN, JUNE 30, NOYAN TAPAN. "Electronic scales that weigh up to 300
grams less in a kilogram are used now in street trade," the chairman of
Protection of Consumer Rights (PCR) NGO Abgar Yeghoyan said at the June
29 press conference.
According to him, scales of registered economic entities only are
subject to testing by "Chapaget" Institute, which is the state licensed
body ensuring the uniformity of measurements in Armenia. Scales of
street vendors are not tested at all, while the use of household scales
in trade is forbidden.
A. Yeghoyan informed those present that PCR conducts monitorings of the
food market every month, according to which there are a lot of old,
uncertified foodstuffs in the market. They contain various pollutants
or thier marking does not correspond with requirements of the law.
There are frequent cases of violation of temperature and
sanitary-hygiene conditions of food storage.
PCR chairman said that their NGO proposed that the Armenian government
should set up an interdepartmental working group from members of
organizations on consumer rights’ protection for the purpose of working
out legislative proposals for dealing with the situation in the food
market.
In his opinion, this proposal is of anticorruption character because
law-quality foodstuffs from abroad do not pass customs control and are
not certified, therefore, they are not taxed and are sold without
control of the appropriate bodies. Besides, the same foodstuffs sold at
various points of trade (kiosk, shop, fair) are taxed in various ways,
while food sold in the streets is not taxed at all.
A. Yeghoyan noted that although the whole production of domestic food
producers is certified, they also commit violations of food marking
rules, particularly, those on production and expiry date.