Hon Chairperson, the response is as follows. The investigation by the National Consumer Commission, NCC, into the labelling of all meat products, as directed by our department on 12 March 2013, in terms of section 86(b) of the Consumer Protection Act, Act 68 of 2008, read together with section 71(2)(a), is currently under way. The NCC will be finalising its investigation by the end of June this year.
Our department published a notice in terms of section 24(4)(a) and (c) of the Act to prescribe certain categories of goods that are required to have a trade description applied to them. We published notice GG36285 on 22 March this year, and the closing date for comments on the notice on meat product labelling is 21 June 2013.
The Department of Trade and Industry also issued a notice to the Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade, of the World Trade Organisation, through the SA Bureau of Standards on 9 April this year, which will be scheduled by June 2013.
Should anyone be found to have contravened the Act, the commission and the National Consumer Tribunal are empowered to act accordingly. Thank you.