At a National Consumers’ League meeting, Mrs. Irene Cousins, director of consumer affairs at the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism, called for greater legislative, regulatory, and educational efforts to safeguard consumer rights. She emphasised that while the Government plays a key role, the ultimate responsibility for protection rests with informed and proactive consumers.

Published Thursday, June 20, 1974

Mobile kitchen launched

A “mobile kitchen” aimed at demonstrating to the general public how to prepare cheaper, balanced diets was launched by the National Consumers’ League at a function held at the Holy Cross Catholic Church on Tuesday evening.

It was part of a drive by the League to take consumer education, in the form of nutrition, to low-income families, particularly those living in rural areas.
Mrs. Vie Mendes, president of the League, told the annual general meeting that they were facing the worst era of escalating prices and high cost of living. With this and an undernourished population, she added, the results would be frightening.

“We seem to be getting little or no protection where prices are concerned,” she said, as she emphasised to members that the current period offered many challenges that required unity and cooperation in order to survive.

Speaking specifically about the mobile kitchen, she said the League hoped to focus attention on applied nutrition programmes and added that the informed consumer is best able to protect themselves. She urged members to mobilise so their voices could be heard.

Mrs. Irene Cousins, director of consumer affairs at the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism, who was the guest speaker for the occasion, said that the role of the Government in the Consumers’ League was primarily in three areas: legislative, regulative, and educative.

It was important, she said, that the League suggest some of the legislation that should be passed by the Government in order to protect consumers.

Consumer legislation was something to be looked at very closely by the Government, but she warned that the final and ultimate protection for consumers rested with the consumers themselves.

She said that the idea of a mobile kitchen was a very bold step forward. It was the cornerstone on which the entire concept of cheaper eating could be built.

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