THE Zanzibar Milling Corporation (ZMC) Limited is working with government authorities to hunt for people counterfeiting its wheat flour products, causing customer uproar after noticing abrupt decline in quality.
Ms Rehema Salim- Communications Manager of the Bakhresa group of companies which owns the ZMC Limited said that her office had recently learned that flour claimed to be produced by ZMC with its packaging labels are currently being sold in Zanzibar.
She said that the counterfeit wheat flour falls short of ZMC quality standards approved by the Bureau of Standards, and could possibly cause confusion to customers in differentiating the two products.
She encouraged people to expose the criminals, pledging to reward 1m/- to every person who will reveal them.
She asked consumers to call +255778404093 or report to the police so that swift action against the culprits can be taken.
On his part, Tuli Yahya Madhehebu- Mill Maintenance and Project Coordinator said that some people had recently complained against the fake wheat flour packed in ZMC bags.
Madhehebu said that ZMC is working closely with the Zanzibar Bureau Standards (ZBS) and the Zanzibar Foods and Drugs Agency (ZFDA) to ensure that people who tarnish the quality of the wheat flour are held accountable.
He said that ZMC produces about 350 tonnes of wheat flour per day, but consumption in Zanzibar is 250 tonnes, with bakeries being the leading buyers of the produced wheat flour.