Opinion / Columnist
Ice cream contamination scare, poisonous Gushungu dairy products to be removed from market shelves
14 Aug 2017 at 21:40hrs | Views
A consumer, Emmerson Mnangagwa complained of abdominal cramps, vomiting and nausea after eating ice-cream produced by the Gushungu Dairy Enterprise owned by President Mugabe and his wife, Grace. Emmerson Mnangagwa was hastily air lifted to South Africa for specialist medical treatment with suspected ice-cream poisoning.
The Gushungu dairy products by international standards are required to be withdrawn from the market following a report that a consumer (Mnangagwa) reacted badly after eating the Gushungu ice-cream served to him at the Gwanda youth interface rally. Until it is fully determined by the national food standards, national health standards authorities, national environmental health agency and the consumer council, the Gushungu dairy products remain a potential risk to its consumers and prospective customers.
It was important to give a warning to the public as a matter of precaution to protect unsuspecting consumers from buying and eating Gushungu ice cream that may be contaminated and poisonous. It is further important to provide the public with information about the occurrence of the ice-cream contamination incident so that people are able to make informed decisions about the potential hazard of buying and eating Gushungu dairy products while the company seeks to get an official clearance that its products are free from contamination and steps are being made to safeguard their products from further contamination.
This kind of information put in the public domain is intended to give the public the independence to make informed choices to buy or avoid buying those products for safety reasons. Gushungu management must recall all its dairy products from the market and from all its major outlets to conform to business ethics and standards, to show that they put the safety of their customers first before profits and to protect their company and product image. Recalling the Gushungu products will allow for thorough laboratory tests on the product; investigate product handling management and environmental production management.
Gushungu enterprise should strive, for the purposes of survival of its business to determine whether the contamination was at the point of production; during transit to the Gwanda rally; or whether one particular ice cream was intended for Mnangagwa by someone deliberately spiking it with poison in an attempt to assassinate him using the product belonging to the president's company so that the general belief is framed around the president and his wife attempting to kill Mnangagwa if it is not them.
Anyone buying and consuming the Gushungu dairy products is acting at their own risk. The Gushungu enterprise stands to lose its product market space and its market outlets which may be reluctant to place huge orders for the fear that the products won't sell because of the contamination scare. Gushungu management should not ignore this critical issue as it is important to give its customers assurances that their products are safe for consumption.
The Gushungu dairy products by international standards are required to be withdrawn from the market following a report that a consumer (Mnangagwa) reacted badly after eating the Gushungu ice-cream served to him at the Gwanda youth interface rally. Until it is fully determined by the national food standards, national health standards authorities, national environmental health agency and the consumer council, the Gushungu dairy products remain a potential risk to its consumers and prospective customers.
It was important to give a warning to the public as a matter of precaution to protect unsuspecting consumers from buying and eating Gushungu ice cream that may be contaminated and poisonous. It is further important to provide the public with information about the occurrence of the ice-cream contamination incident so that people are able to make informed decisions about the potential hazard of buying and eating Gushungu dairy products while the company seeks to get an official clearance that its products are free from contamination and steps are being made to safeguard their products from further contamination.
Gushungu enterprise should strive, for the purposes of survival of its business to determine whether the contamination was at the point of production; during transit to the Gwanda rally; or whether one particular ice cream was intended for Mnangagwa by someone deliberately spiking it with poison in an attempt to assassinate him using the product belonging to the president's company so that the general belief is framed around the president and his wife attempting to kill Mnangagwa if it is not them.
Anyone buying and consuming the Gushungu dairy products is acting at their own risk. The Gushungu enterprise stands to lose its product market space and its market outlets which may be reluctant to place huge orders for the fear that the products won't sell because of the contamination scare. Gushungu management should not ignore this critical issue as it is important to give its customers assurances that their products are safe for consumption.
Source - Themba Mthethwa
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