Customers’ rights must be protected in Cadbury fiasco – Zukiferee Ibrahim

The recent controversial of Cadbury chocolate arises anger to the chocolate lovers. Since the company has been in Malaysia for years and Muslims and Malays are their biggest consumers, the infringement committed by the manufacturer shows their insensitivity to the customers’ right. Each customer regardless of Muslim or not, has the right to know the true ingredient of the product which they consume. 

The crux of the problem is not the porcine DNA found in the product, it is indeed the dishonest act of the manufacturer for not declaring the true ingredients of the chocolate and their act of using the halal certification at whim.

In the above case, the Consumer Protection Act 1999 provides a general function of promoting consumer rights and welfare and is responsible for investigating, enforcing and encouraging compliance with consumer law.

For instance, Section 50(b) of the Act deals with the consumer's right of redress against manufacturers due to the failure of the goods to correspond with a material description applied to the goods. In other words, the section requires the manufacturers to prescribe the whole truth of their product. The Cadbury’s manufacturer might face a law suit for the infringement of this section.

The Cadbury incidence should give a lesson to the food manufacturers and to all goods and services company. The latest ruling by the National Fatwa Committee on this issue should not be a relief or defense to the negligent act.

They have the obligation to treat the customer fairly and at the highest priority. Any insulting act to the customers must be remedied appropriately. Please do not rely on the authority to ratify your misdeed! – May 30, 2014.

*Zukiferee Ibrahim is attached to the Strategic Communication Centre, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu.