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The Zambia Consumer Association (ZACA) has raised the alarm over illegal distribution of industrial sugar, which is meant solely for industrial and manufacturing use but is now being sold directly to consumers in informal markets.
ZACA Executive Director, Juba Sakala, said the Association had received disturbing reports of industrial sugar being repackaged and sold in high-density areas such as Chaisa and wholesale outlets in Soweto Market.
Sakala in a statement issued in Lusaka on Wednesday, stated that similar practices had been reported in border towns like Kasumbalesa.
He said despite denials by sugar manufacturing companies, industrial sugar continues to flood informal retail outlets, often sold openly and without regulatory oversight.
“This sugar is not safe for human consumption and poses a serious public health risk,” Sakala warned.
He criticised the apparent inaction of relevant institutions, including the Ministry of Health (MoH), Zambia Bureau of Standards (ZABS), Zambia Compulsory Standards Agency (ZCSA), and local councils, despite being aware of the situation.
Sakala demanded immediate and coordinated action from all relevant stakeholders and urged sugar manufacturers to tighten distribution systems to ensure industrial sugar reaches only authorized users.
He further called on the Ministry of Health, ZCSA, ZABS, and local authorities to conduct inspections, seize illicit stock, and remove industrial sugar from consumer markets.
“Wholesale traders and shop owners must be held accountable for stocking unsafe products in violation of the Food Safety Act, Public Health Act, and other national standards,” Sakala stressed.
Additionally, Sakala expressed concern over mounting challenges facing both consumers and exporters, aggravated by new U.S. tariffs and unsafe market practices in Zambia.
He said the introduction of a 10 percent baseline tariff on African agricultural exports and a proposed 25 percent tariff on copper imports by the U.S. government poses a serious threat to Zambia’s trade competitiveness.
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“These tariffs are expected to reduce Zambia’s export appeal in U.S. markets, trigger volatility in global copper prices, and worsen foreign exchange shortages, further straining the national economy,” Sakala stated.
He noted that consumers were already bearing the brunt of these developments, citing the depreciation of the kwacha against the U.S. dollar, rising inflation, and a sharp increase in essential commodity prices.
“Electricity tariffs have also surged by 115 percent for high-use consumers due to increased energy import costs, placing an even greater burden on households,” Sakala added.
He concluded that as Zambia navigated the economic fallout of global tariff changes, protecting consumers from harmful and illegal products must be a top priority.
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