THE new school year has just begun and most children tend to buy their lunches, though some may bring their own packed lunches. Members of the Guyana Consumers Association recently visited several schools in the City and the University of Guyana and looked at the lunch arrangements for students.
Most students prefer to buy “junk food”, like aereated sweet drinks or fried chips or fried chicken or fried “sweet bakes”. Though some schools may have in their vicinity sellers vending home-cooked local snacks, such as channa and potato balls, most students still show a preference for the junk food.
It is the duty and responsibility of parents to ensure the health and well-being of their children and an important part of the care of children is to ensure that  they eat healthy and nutricious food.  And if the student is allowed to buy his lunch, he would very likely go for junk food.
We would therefore suggest that children are given their own packed lunches prepared at home. Such could include sandwiches of various kinds such as cheese and fish, boiled eggs and so on.  And for drink, they could be given home-made fruit juices such as lime-drink or other fruit juices. They could also be given flasks of tea and, of course, bottles of water.  The same applies to UG students.
Home-prepared snacks/lunches have many advantages over children being allowed to be tempted to buy junk food:
Firstly, home-prepared foods are healthier and more nutricious.  Junk foods have an excess of salt and sugar and taste-enhancing chemicals, and are usually fried in cheap oils which are saturated.  Accordingly, a regular diet of junk food will gradually impair a child’s health and adversely affect his academic performance.
Home-prepared food is generally more hygienic and costs far less than junk foods.  Parents are therefore urged, in their children’s and their own interest, to have their children take their lunches to school.
From time to time we will be bringing to the attention of consumers things which they should know and always keep in mind to protect themselves when they go shopping.
Whenever you, as a consumer, make a purchase, you must ensure that your bill has the name of the shop. The date must be clearly written and the description of the item purchased should be clearly written.  Lastly, the price of the item or items purchased should be clearly stated.
Most of the East Asian businesses which have recently established themselves here tend not to give purchasers bills;  you must demand your bill no matter how busy the cashier counter may appear to be.
A bill protects the purchaser in many ways.  A bill is sufficient proof of purchase and establishes your ownership of the item or items.  If the Police, for example, were to be involved in the investigation of theft, your bill will always prove your ownership.  Without a bill, you cannot return an item, defective or otherwise, to the seller and demand a refund or new item.  And without a bill, the Guyana Consumers Association or the Consumer Protection Commission would be unable to take up your case, in the event of complaint.
The problem of return of goods purchased and refunds is a recurring one.  No bill could have inserted in it words to the effect that no refunds would be made or goods purchased cannot be returned.  And in no store, in any part of it, could there be written any sign to the effect “No refunds or No return of goods”  It is an infringement of the Consumers Affairs Act for any supplier or seller to attempt to impose on the consumer a “no refund or no return of goods” policy.  And the purchaser would do well to remind the seller or supplier of the Consumer Affairs Act.  In future articles, we will remind the consumer or purchaser of other safeguards he has against being exploited by suppliers.
Before we end this offering, we would like to remind consumers that if you make a call to a cell phone and did not get through to anyone, and voice mail comes on before eight rings are made, they have no right to charge you for a minute.  And if you hang up before eight rings are made, you should not be charged for a minute.  The telephone companies have been contravening this ruling of the Public Utilities Commission.  Indeed, one company whose cell telephone we rang during working hours on Friday last, had their voice mail come on at the first ring!  Consumers should demand a refund for any such wrongful charges.  GCA’s email: patdial26@gmail. com