The Ministry of Commerce’s General Directorate of Consumer Protection, Competition and Fraud Repression (CCF) continues to find hundreds of kilogramme of defective goods in Cambodia’s markets while also stepping up enforcement of fines against gas stations and fuel depots that are cheating their customers.

According to the CCF, on April 12 officers at CCF branches in Banteay Meanchey, Kampong Chhnang and Preah Vihear provinces carried out inspections of 21 fuel businesses and found eight places that were not in compliance with the law and penalties were levied against them. There were also some defective and expired goods which were found and confiscated by CCF officers.

On the same day, the CCF branch in Svay Rieng province continued its campaign to carry out inspections of all kinds of goods in the markets to make sure that the goods sold to people before the Khmer New Year are safe for consumption. Officers confiscated 20.74kg of defective and expired goods to be stored awaiting assessment of further actions and penalties.

In other parts of the country, CCF officers – accompanied by a mobile food laboratory vehicle in cooperation with the Department of Commerce – inspected the quality and safety of goods in the markets and distribution warehouses in Kampot province; Oddar Meanchey province’s Samrong town; Koh Kong province’s Khemarak Phoumin town; Svay Rieng provincial town; Takeo province’s Samrong district; Kep town and Damnak Changaur district; and in Phnom Penh to protect consumer interests and public safety during the Khmer New Year on April 14-16.

According to the report on the results of the inspections from April 8 to 11, CCF officials conducted a preliminary test searching for banned chemicals in 73 samples of edible goods and found 3kg of borax-containing soybean foam.

They confiscated non-compliant goods, including soft drinks, snacks and packaged goods totaling 293.81kg. The confiscated goods were taken to the branch offices for disposal and the traders who were selling them were fined.