Consumers in Sri Lanka

Are you really protected?

Today consumer market has grown in both size and variety. In urban areas due to the set up of supermarkets consumers are largely exposed to a wide range of local and imported products. Manufacturers and exporters face highly competitive environment in making a demand for their products. It is OK to compete as it leads to fair market price and high quality product, but it is also possible to sell low quality products to higher prices deceiving consumers. If they sell their products to consumers by false information or exaggeration it is not right at all.

It is not uncommon to see lot of value added products such as health food, effective fitness machines etc. in the market for a comparatively higher price. There should be several requirements to fulfill to claim a benefit and it should be well explained to the customer.

As an example if a particular noodle claimed to be a healthy food, it should have properties like high fiber, law calorie, low fat etc. and the nutritional vales should be in the label. Then the consumer can decide is it really valuable for the cost.

To increase the demand, other than providing high quality product to fair price some sellers and manufacturers use gimmicks.  One such gimmick done by the seller or the manufacturer is emphasizing a naturally occurring property as a benefit. A good example is claiming “Cholesterol Free” for vegetable oils. Though this may attract the consumer and encourage buying even at a higher price, cholesterol does not naturally occur in plant sources.

Another attempt is exaggeration. One example is slimming teas. It is true that green tea and some herbal preparations can help to reduce body fat but and obese cannot shed several kilos within days and have a slim figure shown in the label just by drinking it. Some telemarketing campaigns promote fitness products that give preferred body image by using it only few minutes a day for several days which is unrealistic in real world. Most of the soap advertisements are also unrealistic.

Some products tend to provide expected result but it also has side effects. Mercury is banned to use in cosmetics in many countries considering the potential health hazards. But it is very effective in some skin conditions such as freckles and whitening. Cosmetics containing Mercury are available in the Sri Lankan market and neither the seller nor the consumer knows about it.

The quality and the price are interdependent. As consumers we have right to obtain a reasonable product for what we pay. However lots of exported items are sold at highly varied prices and it is hard to regulate.

As a consumer to get the best thing for your money

• Read the label (a good product has most of the product details in the label)
• Details of the manufacturer should be in the label (some products only have a name)
• Compare the prices and properties of the similar products
• Sometimes you may get more information through the internet
• If you feel that the manufacturer or the seller has provided wrong or altered information you can complain to Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) http://www.caa.gov.lk/ for appropriate action