Strengthening consumer protection must go beyond mobile court raids

On social media, we often come across videos of government mobile courts fining businesses for using unauthorised chemicals, penalising restaurants for unhygienic food preparation, or confiscating substandard products from shops. These videos remind us that market surveillance exists and that businesses can be held accountable. But they also raise a larger question: are we looking at consumer protection too narrowly? Consumer safety cannot begin and end with a mobile court visiting a local shop. It must begin much earlier—in the supply chain, at the point of import, during product registration, in advertising, and ultimately with consumers themselves.

Our traditional understanding of consumer protection focuses on familiar problems: adulterated food, incorrect weights, expired products, unhygienic restaurants, and dishonest pricing. These remain important concerns. But Bangladesh's marketplace has become far more complex. Today, a wide range of products enter our homes through international supply chains, local manufacturers, importers, and online platforms. Household cleaning chemicals, pest-control products, cosmetics, electrical appliances, and many other consumer goods are available at both physical shops and digital marketplaces. But who verifies the safety of these products before they reach consumers?

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Consider household pest-control products or cleaning chemicals. A consumer may choose a product because its packaging looks authentic, it promises powerful results, or it comes with an attractive promotional offer. But how many consumers actually ask whether the product is registered, certified, or authorised by the appropriate regulatory authority? Not every product is regulated by Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI) in the same way. BSTI maintains a list of products which are subject to mandatory certification, while other products fall under different regulatory authorities. Pesticides, for example, have a separate registration framework under which brands must be registered before being imported, manufactured, sold, distributed, or advertised. Therefore, the question is not simply whether a product carries a BSTI mark but also about which authority regulates the product and whether an ordinary consumer can verify its regulatory status.

Regulatory information may be available, but it is often not presented in a way that consumers can easily understand. Imagine a consumer standing in a shop inspecting two different bottles of insecticide. One is imported and the other is locally produced. Both claim to be highly effective. One has a "buy two, get one free" offer. What information does the consumer need before making a decision? Consumers should be able to easily find information about the product's registration status, manufacturer or importer, permitted uses, safety warnings, expiry date, and relevant regulatory authority. Without accessible information, consumers are being asked to make safety decisions with incomplete knowledge.

Promotional marketing can also be problematic. There is nothing inherently wrong with providing discounts, but aggressive promotions can encourage consumers to purchase products they may not need. The concern becomes greater when the product itself may pose health or safety risks. A household chemical is not the same as a packet of biscuits. A pesticide, disinfectant, cleaning chemical, or cosmetic product can create health risks if it contains hazardous substances, is improperly formulated, lacks adequate warnings, or is used incorrectly. Consumer awareness, therefore, cannot simply mean knowing whether something is cheap or expensive. We must know what we are actually buying.

No regulatory agency, regardless of its capacity, can physically inspect every shop, online seller, and product entering a country of nearly 18 crore people. Government enforcement is essential, but enforcement alone cannot create a safer marketplace. Consumers also have a role to play. They could check labels, question suspicious products, report misleading advertisements and potentially unsafe goods, and avoid products whose origin, ingredients, or regulatory status cannot be verified. Businesses have an equally important responsibility. Compliance should not be viewed merely as something necessary to avoid a fine. Product safety should be understood as a basic responsibility towards customers. Government agencies have already demonstrated the power of social media. Enforcement videos can reach thousands, sometimes millions, of people. But these platforms could be used for more than documenting penalties.

Instead of showing only that a business has been fined, agencies could explain why the product or practice was illegal. Instead of simply showing a confiscated chemical, they could explain how consumers can identify legally registered alternatives. They could also tell consumers how to verify a product's regulatory status and how to file a complaint if a product isn’t compliant. A modern consumer protection system needs at least three active participants: regulators who enforce the rules, businesses that comply with them, and consumers who are informed enough to demand compliance.

Ultimately, the larger question is whether our consumer protection system is keeping pace with a rapidly changing marketplace. The next time a mobile court raid video appears on our Facebook feed, perhaps we should look beyond the fine. What about the products that are never inspected? What about goods entering through complex supply chains? What about chemicals being promoted online? And most importantly, how can an ordinary consumer know whether what they are bringing home is actually safe? A safe marketplace cannot be built on inspections alone. It requires transparent regulation, responsible businesses, informed consumers, and an active citizenry. Consumer protection should not begin when an inspector walks into a shop. It should begin before the product reaches the shelf—and continue until it reaches our homes.

A S M Rafad Asgar is research associate at Bangladesh Institute of Governance and Management (BIGM). He can be reached at rafad.asgar@bigm.edu.bd.

Ruhul Amin is research associate at Bangladesh Institute of Governance and Management (BIGM). He can be reached at ruhul.amin@bigm.edu.bd.

Samira Tasnim is research associate at BIGM. She can be reached at samira.tasnim@bigm.edu.bd.

Views expressed in this article are the author's own.

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