Ensuring Sale Of Quality Fish : CONGELCAM Dared To Produce Evidence Of Health Compliance

The civil society organisation, “Observatoire du developpement societal (ODS) has challenged Cameroon’s leading fish importation and sales company, CONGELCAM, to produce its health inspection certificates. During a press conference organised in Yaounde recently by the General Coordinator of ODS, Lilian Koulou Engoulou, he also gave updates on the legal proceedings that the civil society organisation has brought against the fish importation company before the Court of First Instance. 
Indeed, following information relayed by social networks, then by the media and the press, ODS became aware of a correspondence from the Minister of Public Health of August 24, 2023 which accused CONGELCAM of not wanting to comply with food safety regulations, in the marketing of the fish it imports. Another correspondence of the company CONGELCAM which relayed a set of facts on a dispute between the services of the State including the Ministry of Health, intervening in the inspections prior to the release for consumption of fish products marketed by CONGELCAM was also communicated. On this occasion, many containers of damaged fish were destroyed and others are in progress. The National Consumer Council on its part, within its mission, on July 21, 2023 noted numerous shortcomings likely to harm the health of populations in the process of selling fish imported by CONGELCAM. 
It is thus against this backdrop that ODS, as a consumer association and in accordance to Article 3 of their status, undertook investigations into the real existence of such a conflict. “Having received this confirmation, and seen the risks to the health of the populations mentioned, we decided to take legal action to have proof of the sanitary compliance of fish imports and their distribution on the markets of Yaounde and Cameroon by CONGELCAM SA. To this end, we have requested and obtained from the President of the Court of First Instance of Yaounde, an authorization to summon in summary, proceedings from hour to hour, that is to say in extreme urgency the company CONG...