The Consumer Council of Fiji has welcomed the landmark judgement delivered by the High Court
in Suva, which dismissed a long-running lawsuit brought by Hansons Supermarket regarding the condemnation and destruction of unfit meat products.
The case, which named the Consumer Council of Fiji as a defendant alongside the Nasinu Town Council and a newspaper company, centred on a 2019 inspection where a large quantity of meat and frozen goods were found to be unfit for human consumption.
Council CEO, Seema Shandil says this is a victory for every Fijian consumer.
She says for too long, some traders have used the threat of legal action to silence advocacy and hide unethical practices.
Shandil says this judgement sets a powerful precedent that the Council will not be intimidated for doing its job.
She adds their priority is, and always will be, public safety over private profit.
The supermarket has been ordered to pay $5,000 in costs to the Council.
Shandil also says this ruling strengthens the Council’s ongoing mandate to "name and shame" unscrupulous traders who repeatedly breach food safety regulations.
The Council urges all retailers to view this not as a defeat for the business community, but as a standard-setting moment for food safety and corporate accountability in Fiji.
In this case, the plaintiff alleged that the Council acted negligently and sought damages for loss of reputation following the publication of the findings.
In the decisive ruling, the High Court has clarified the legal standing of the Council, stating that the Council, as a statutory body, does not owe a common law duty of care to businesses when carrying out its functions.
It said that the council's legal and moral obligation is to protect the health and interests of the Fijian public.
The council says the judgement reinforces the protections provided under Section 12 of the
Consumer Council Act, which shields the Council from liability for actions taken in good faith
during the course of its duties.
