Marketing of Kariba Bream as Chambo
It has come to the attention of the Competition and Fair Trading Commission (CFTC) that there are some enterprises that are engaged in the promotion, marketing and selling of Karibu Bream fish as Mega Chambo / tilapia Chambo or Chambo from the Zambezi. This information has been published through different media including newspaper advertisements.
In pursuit of its mandate of regulating, monitoring, controlling and preventing acts or behaviours which are likely to adversely affect competition and consumer welfare in Malawi, the Commission has reviewed the adverts in newspapers, on the fridges at the point of sale, and at the wholesale and retail packaging of the product. The Commission has further reviewed the actual fish, and engaged Fisheries experts for physical examination of the product.
Our findings have shown that the said Kariba Bream fish is actually (Oreochromis niloticus) a Tilapia found in other parts of the world, and NOT the Chambo (Oreochromis karongae). The picture insert below is the true Chambo.
(Oreochromis karongae) CHAMBO
Chambo is a specific name to this fish species and not any other fish in the world. It must be mentioned that Chambo is geographically found in Lake Malawi and nowhere else. As such, Chambo from Lake Malawi enjoys a certain reputation due to its geographical origin. It is therefore grossly misleading and deceptive for any product which is not Chambo to be sold as such. Such misrepresentations deprive consumers of important information needed to make an informed buying decision.
In view of this, the Commission would like to inform the business community that the Competition and Fair Trading Act, under Section 43(1)(k) prohibits enterprises from engaging in misleading or deceptive advertisement. Further, the law prescribes fines for businesses that deceive consumers. It does not matter whether a false or misleading statement was intentional or not. Any statement representing products or services should be true, accurate and able to be substantiated.
Further, the Commission is appealing to all enterprises that published misleading adverts on the Kariba Bream fish to review them and publish revised adverts within 7 days. This will ensure that the product is marketed and sold under its real name.
Failure to publish revised adverts will force the Commission to take further action on those found to continue engaging in the misrepresentation, in line with the law.
CHARLOTTE WEZI MALONDA
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR