Barista fined for selling food without price, weight, or date

The Bandarawela Magistrate's Court has imposed a fine of four hundred thousand rupees on 'Barista Coffee Lanka Pvt Ltd (Barista Express)' located in Bandarawela, which operated in violation of consumer protection laws. A case was filed against this establishment after a special raid conducted by a team of officials from the Badulla District Office of the Consumer Affairs Authority. The verdict was delivered yesterday (10) after the defendant company pleaded guilty in court to four serious charges brought against it.

Based on the facts revealed during this raid, a case was filed against the relevant establishment under four charges. These included selling cakes without mentioning any essential information such as price, weight, manufacturing date, and expiry date on the label, and displaying similar biscuit packets for sale without label details. Additionally, the company was found guilty of keeping expired biscuit packets for sale in violation of consumer regulations, as well as storing expired food items in refrigerators and storage for preparing other food and beverages in a manner that misleads and deceives consumers.

Following this incident, the Consumer Affairs Authority makes a special request to the general public. The Authority points out that consumers should always be extremely careful about the labels, prices, and expiry dates when purchasing food items, even from a well-known establishment with a famous brand name. Furthermore, the public is requested to immediately inform the Consumer Affairs Authority via the short dial number 1977 during office hours if they have any information regarding such violations of consumer laws.