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VICTORIA CONSUMER’S COMPLAINT LEADS TO $1,000 FINE

A complaint by a consumer about a bag of prawns purchased at a Victoria supermarket has resulted in a $1,000 fine for the company that supplied the prawns. Wah Loong Ltd. entered a guilty plea in Richmond Provincial Court on April 24, 2003 to one count of violating section 5(1) of the Food and Drugs Act.

Acting on the consumer’s complaint, Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) inspectors acquired bags of prawns in December, 2001 that had labels identifying the weight as two pounds. When three of the sample bags were thawed and weighed, the net weights were 1.2430, 1.2386 and 1.2716 pounds.

Section 5(1) of the Food and Drugs Act states,

“No person shall label, package, treat, process, sell or advertise any food in a manner that is false, misleading or deceptive or is likely to create an erroneous impression regarding its character, value, quantity, composition, merit or safety.”

Consumers have the right to make informed decisions about what they buy and eat, based on accurate labels on products. The CFIA conducts inspections and investigations so that Canadians receive accurate information about food products. Products with misleading labels deceive consumers, and can create unfair competition and economic gain in the marketplace. The CFIA encourages consumer complaints where misleading practices are suspected.

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