NCC zero-rates calls to report sale of fake, expired food

] Calls to the NCC hotline are zero-rated for three months, to allow incidents of food contamination to be reported.

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The National Consumer Commission (NCC) says members of the public can contact it free of charge and facilitate the registration of complaints and tip-offs related to the sale of fake or expired foodstuffs.

For three months, starting on 1 December, members of the public can contact the hotline with the support of the Association of Comms and Technology (ACT).

“The NCC welcomes the support of ACT and individual member mobile operators for agreeing to zero-rate calls to the NCC’s contact centre,” says NCC acting commissioner Hardin Ratshisusu.

“Some stakeholders had raised concerns that since the contact centre number is paid for, this may limit the ability of those with limited means to reach the contact centre.

“This intervention will therefore ensure consumers can report incidents on the sale of fake or expired food as soon as such is identified.”

The zero-rating of calls to the NCC helpline follows president Cyril Ramaphosa’s announcement last month that spaza shop owners must register their businesses.

This, after contaminated food was linked to the deaths of several schoolchildren in some communities across SA.

Ramaphosa further called for the need to educate consumers about food safety and labelling, urging that suspicions of fake or expired foodstuffs being sold be reported to the NCC.

According to the NCC, it will play a leading role in investigating the sale of fake and expired foodstuffs throughout the country.

“Therefore, it is crucial to ensure the NCC’s contact centre is available to a wide spectrum of society and that incidents of food contamination, or the sale of expired foods are reported timeously to enable an effective response,” it says in the statement.

ACT CEO Nomvuyiso Batyi commended the NCC for reaching out to join hands with the telecommunications industry in the national effort to curb the crisis.

“We are pleased to confirm that members of ACT that offer voice calls have agreed individually to accede to NCC's request for its contact centre number for three months, effective 1 December 2024.

“We trust this measure will provide critical assistance to the NCC during this period and we encourage the NCC to engage directly with the respective network operators if challenges arise,” says Batyi.

Consumers can lodge complaints through the NCC’s e-Service portal, or provide tip-offs through the contact centre hotline at 012 065 1940.