Importance of consumer awareness

AN  ALERT  CONSUMER IS A SAFE CONSUMER!

“Consumers by definition includes all citizens who are by and large the biggest group who are affected by almost all government, public or privet decisions.”

John F Kennedy
Former President of United States

In the market economy manufactures always try to maximize profits. There are lot of goods available in the market such as milk products, meat or fish products, genetically modified food products, fruits, soft drinks, edible oil etc..  But unfortunately consumers do not know the ingredients of these products. Sometimes manufactures are not following safety regulations in the products like electrical equipments, cement, LPG cylinders, switches, sockets, batteries. This leads to many fatal accidents. Adulteration of food, artificially colored vegetables and fruits are very harmful to our health. Manufactures do not concern the quality of the goods and services. It is not important for them the impact on health of people and the environment. In a market economy producer who decides what the consumer should want. In other side consumers are mislead by the advertising techniques. Consumption patterns are changing fast today. When we buy goods and services it is very important to check details before buying products. When we consider all above problems there must be an organized and systematic movement for safeguarding the interests of the consumers.

It is very important that the consumers are aware of their rights. In there the government has to play an important role, by enacting suitable laws and enforcing them effectively. In this point consumers have a major role. They must be aware of all rules and regulations regarding consumer protection. Because education is a lifelong process, consumer education is an important part of this process.

The most important step in consumer education is awareness of consumer rights, responsibilities and duties of consumers. Consumers must learn to obtain information about goods and services, understand the psychology of selling and adverting, learn to shop wisely and distinguish between wants and needs.