UNBS Destroys Substandard Goods Worth Shs2.5bn

The Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) says it has destroyed 232 metric tonnes of substandard goods estimated at Shs2.5bn.

UNBS is a statutory body responsible for developing and promoting standards and quality of products and services to facilitate fair trade, promote local industries and protect consumers.

The destruction was one of the measures aimed at protecting public health and safety, and promoting environmental conservation.

According to the standards regulator, a substandard product is one that does not meet the general and technical specifications required by the standards and as such, is considered to be inferior or of poor quality.  

The destroyed goods included foodstuffs, iron sheets, cosmetics, cement, mattresses, toilet paper, polythene bags, electronics and alcohol.

The agency says these goods had been seized during countrywide operations carried out by the UNBS Market Surveillance and Imports Inspection departments in the course of the financial year 2019/2020.

As a way of bolstering efforts to rid the market of substandard products, UNBS reviewed its regulations.

These regulations include the Imports Inspection and Clearance Regulation 2018 which requires that goods covered by compulsory standards must be inspected in their country of origin before they are allowed on the market under the Pre-Export Verification of Conformity to Standards Program (PVoC).

The other one is the UNBS Distinctive Mark Regulation 2018 which makes it mandatory for all locally manufactures goods covered by compulsory standards to be certified and issued with UNBS Distinctive Marks before they are allowed on the market.