During Operation ‘Merry Christmas’ the Regional Authority for Economic Activities (ARAE) “detected nine infractions in the 33 stores inspected. This included supermarkets, non-food outlets and food and beverage processes.” Of the nine infractions eight are listed as administrative offences and one has been referred as a criminal case, where 60 kg of fruit and vegetables were seized and rendered useless.
“The inspection actions took place during the last 15 days of December and were motivated by the expected increase in consumption at Christmas time, and the number of complaints received by the ARAE. This motivated the inspections as the complaints needed to be investigated as well as the ARAE’s dury to protect consumers and safeguard public health.”
Thus, “the Operational Plan, developed by 8 inspectors in 7 municipalities of Madeira, checked the conformity of foodstuffs, shelf life, labelling, compliance with marketing rules, including price display and unfair commercial practices or other anti-economic offences.
Adding to previous statements, the ARAE also state that the in the List of infringements detected (18.18%) related to lack of quality of the products, lack of cleanliness and hygiene, the non-implementation of HACCP (Analysis System of Hazards and Critical Control Points of food safety risks) and absence of a complaints book in an establishment.”
Samantha Gannon
info at madeira-weekly.com
Yet, “in the during ‘Operation Merry Christmas’, 21 complaints were investigated whose content indicates the practice of criminal offences. In this regard, all cases will be sent to the Public Prosecutor’s Office, taking into account the content of the complaint, and 4 complaints that point to the practice of infringements of an administrative offence nature”, adding that “11 of the inspections focused on establishments with a high influx of consumers, most of them large commercial surfaces, and it should be noted that the simulations of purchase/sale presented regular results, so this matter was not established any process”.
ARAE’s “mission is to supervise the compliance with the legislation regulating economic activities in the sectors food and non-food in Madeira and Porto Santo, as well as raising awareness among the economic agents for the rights and duties arising from the rules that regulate the exercise of commercial activity, encouraging its compliance and betting on prevention”, recalls the SRE.
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