A STORY headlined: ‘Bakewell under fire in Lusignan for mildewed products – company says it has return policy before shelf-life  expires’ caught my attention in the state-owned newspaper.

It held my interest because about one week ago I  purchased a packet of Apple Turnover, costing $400,  from  Bakewell’s main outlet at North Road and Albert Street, Georgetown.  However, I  failed to properly scrutinise the product at the time of purchase and when I got home just minutes later, I realised that it already had clearly discernible signs of mildew. I took the Apple Turnover back to Bakewell the next day and a young lady grudgingly replaced the item while offering a rather muted apology.

My recent experience at Bakewell becomes more significant in light of the issue currently in the public domain regarding  the case of Bakewell’s wholesale customers in Lusignan.
Once again, it seems that service providers and other businesses are ignoring consumers rights enshrined under the Consumers Affairs Act 2011.  Citizens ought to feel better protected with the pro-active and probably overlapping functioning of such agencies in our midst as The Government Analyst – Food and Drug Department; the City Council’s Health Department; and the Guyana National Bureau of Standards.
Moreover, customers should have the benefit of clearly visible shelf-life notices on food products put up for sale locally.
SYLVIA CONWAY