The Director of Consumer Affairs, Carmel Foley, has called on retailers to display the prices of all consumer products or run the risk of prosecution.
The Director made this warning following the findings of surveys carried out by her inspectors into the levels of compliance by retail outlets of sweets and chocolates.
Following a six-month nationwide campaign to ensure that retailers of chocolates and sweets comply with price display legislation, Ms Foley warned non-compliant shopkeepers that they could face prosecution.
An initial survey in June had found that the overall level of compliance for retailers of sweets was 59% compared with the average for all retail sectors of over 90%. It also found wide disparity between the different types of outlets.
During the summer, the ODCA put a special action plan in place to improve price display by the sector. The first step of this was to write to the owners of about 2,300 retail outlets and to supermarket head office management, advising them of their obligations to comply with the price display requirements. Inspectors then called on retailers and advised them of their obligations under the Regulations.
Then a follow up survey was carried out in October, that mainly targeted premises found not to be fully compliant in the course of the June project.
The ODCA says that as a result of the action taken by the office, the percentage of outlets displaying prices increased from 59% to 92%.
