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Central Province recorded the highest number of non-compliant products during inspections as the Zambia Compulsory Standards Agency (ZCSA) withdrew more than 5,600 substandard goods from trading outlets countrywide following a nationwide market surveillance exercise that exposed widespread violations of compulsory standards.
ZCSA Executive Director Gerald, Chizinga, said the withdrawn products included potable spirits, packaged water, dishwashing liquid and electrical products, which emerged as some of the worst offenders during the inspections.
The enforcement action followed the 2025 National Open Market Surveillance (OMS), conducted between October 12 and December 5, covering all 10 provinces.
Chizinga announced the findings during an end-of-year media briefing held in Lusaka on Tuesday, explaining that the surveillance exercise was guided by a risk-based approach that prioritised products posing the greatest risk to consumer health and safety.
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“The 2025 OMS covered all the 10 provinces compared to nine in 2024, demonstrating increased coverage of our market surveillance activities. This year’s exercise spanned 61 districts and 108 localities, with inspections conducted on 41 product categories,” he said.
According to ZCSA data, inspectors visited 1,584 trading outlets, assessed 1,925 product brands and recorded 470 cases of non-compliance.
Products targeted during the inspections included fertiliser, packaged water, peanut butter, household electrical appliances, potable spirits, fruit-flavoured drinks, maize meal, clear beer and used textile products.
Chizinga said the most common violations involved expired products, administrative breaches such as lack of registration or permits, banned or prohibited goods, poor labelling, caked fertiliser and non-compliant electrical fittings lacking basic safety features.
Inspectors also discovered products contaminated with foreign matter.
He explained that ZCSA implemented enforcement measures provided for under the Compulsory Standards Act, including the seizure and withdrawal of products deemed unsafe, as well as quarantining or restricting goods requiring further assessment and compliance verification.
Of the 5,663 products withdrawn from the market, 1,819 were electrical fittings and connections, 877 potable spirits, 773 incandescent bulbs, 760 rubber condoms, 454 fruit-flavoured drinks and 348 bottled drinking water products.
Household electrical appliances accounted for 277 withdrawals, while other affected items included cooking oil, beer, peanut butter, biscuits and mealie meal.
Chizinga further disclosed that five bales of used textile products containing undergarments and nightwear were also removed from the market.
In addition, a total of 14,121 products were quarantined or restricted pending compliance verification.
These included 2,113 units of dishwashing liquid, 2,816 bottled drinking water products, 1,888 potable spirits, 1,764 compound fertiliser products, 1,550 sugar products, 554 peanut butter items and 596 household electrical appliances, among others.
Chizinga warned traders and manufacturers to comply with compulsory standards, stressing that ZCSA would continue intensifying market surveillance to protect consumers and promote fair trade practices across the country.
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