Fair trade with food at street stalls

Beach or roadside stalls usually sell fresh coconuts and other fruits and vegetables without displaying a price, forcing many to ask if there is a fixed price or what the fair price range is.

This is particularly problematic for tourists who are often cheated into buying a fresh coconut for as much as SCR 500, as they do not know the local prices or the value of these prices in their own currency.

Deputy Cabinet Secretary for Political Affairs, Margaret Pillay, tells TODAY that they have heard many complaints of this nature and have wanted to address it for some time.

The aim of the exercise is to ensure quality, hygiene and fair trade by the vendors. The Cabinet also approved the proposal of new activities to enable the active participation of street vendors in an organised manner.

This means that not only do they have to present their prices, but they also have to be registered under SENPA to be able to sell legally. This, says Ms Pillay, will ensure that there is a framework with the known stalls that are registered so that the Health Department and the Fair Trade Commission can work together to ensure that the regulations are followed.