How a Concrete Nail Got into a Cookie(part I)

Journalistic Investigation

Georgian customers have already got used to coming across strange things in loaves of bread and cookies. The strange things can be: a piece of thread, rope, excrements of mouse, a piece of cellophane, hair, etc. Everyone, including me, has seen similar things in pasties. However, it was a miracle to find a 4-centimeter-long nail in a cookie.    

The incident happened in Tbilisi. A customer bought some cookies for a child in the shopping center ‘Pasage” in the area of central market. While one of the family members was eating a cookie, she felt something stuck in her mouth. The thing was a concrete nail of four-centimeter-long. Though the person escaped injuries, the fact was so astonishing that I decided to carry out a journalistic investigation. 

 Legislation

I started to study the legislation as a first activity in my investigation. I got to know the articles regarding the protection of the customer’s rights and the relationships between the customer and entrepreneur. The Georgian law on “protection of the rights of customers” states that the entrepreneur must provide the customer with the detailed and valuable information about the product, the exact name and the sort of the product; the label must also provide the information about the enterprise where the food is produced, its address and the name of the country. Beside that, the label should show the information about the address where the customers can send their complaints and orders for wholesale, as well as the address of the technical service. The information must be written in Georgian and fixed on the packet of the product. Every product must have the labels providing all above-mentioned information. 

The Georgian law on the “safety and quality of the food products” draws its particular attention to the production of the children’s food.  The law states that “The Georgian Ministry of Agriculture must work out and make conclusions about the hygiene conditions and regulations of the unpacked food for retail sale until July 1 of 2007.

The rights of the customers are protected by the Georgian Constitution (Art.30); the Georgian Civil Code; the law on “certification of the production and service”; the law on “the safety and quality of the food products” and some other normative acts.

 Investigation to Estimate the Origin of the Cookie

Having acquainted with the corresponding legislation, I asked the claimant to show me the shop where she had bought the cookies. After that, incredible events developed in a very curious way.

February 3, 12:00 AM. I carefully examined the box of the cookies in the shop. It had no labels fixed on. According to the legislation, I asked the seller to tell me the name of the entrepreneur and the distributor. She answered that one kilo of the cookies cost 4 lari and it is produced in Tbilisi. Although, I introduced her with the legislation and repeated the question several times, she did not say anything about the distributor. Thus, I was obliged to apply to the board of the shopping center “Pasage” and find out whether administration was responsible for the quality of the food products what is sold in their shops.

A middle aged man met me at the entrance of the shopping center. I introduced him to the legislation too and asked him what I wanted to know. He, for some reason, considered I was a spy and inquired who had sent me there. I read the legislation to him once more and waited for the answer. “Who are you and who has sent you here, what do you want?” he repeated the same.

Journalist: I have already explained what I want. Here is the legislation. Do you have the right to control the products that are sold in the shops of your center and what kind of control are you implementing?
-I do not know anything. Wait a little, the manager is out of the office.
-We might call him on the mobile phone and let him know I am waiting. (He is calling to certain Dato. Twenty minutes later he appeared and we went into the room on the second floor).

I introduced him to the law, explained who I was and what I wanted to know. He demanded to see my ID and having seen it he got sure I was a journalist. His answered that similar cases were not within his competence and I should have spoken with the director.

-Can you tell me, when the director appears at the center, or call him and ask when I should come to meet him?
-I cannot call him, it is not my business.
-Then I will leave you my phone number and I will come here when you tell me.
-I do not want you to leave your number. I will not be able to give the number to the director. Come here during working hours and meet the director yourself. Why do I need your phone number? I am a manager and it is not my business. You cannot interview me. Every organization has its regulations. If you need detailed information you should come on Monday and meet the director.

I went back to the shop assistant since I could not find out anything from the manager. Seeing me again, she got upset. I repeated the question and asked her to tell me who was supplying them with the cookies. Finally she answered.

-I get them from the hospital.
-From the hospital?... Which hospital do you mean?
-Over there. You should go straight ahead and reach the hospital (she is pointing me to the direction). Go and you will see it. I cannot accompany you there.
-Do you get the cookies from there?
-I have already answered you. Why are you asking me so many questions?
 

 (part II)  http://www.humanrights.ge/eng_/articles.php?id=595

Eka Gulua