Measure costs of well-meaning laws

The saga of the cola-can sizes reminds us that well-intended regulation can sometimes go awry in the complicated world outside the bureaucracy.

Sometimes even actions taken with the best of intentions can end up looking hasty. The recall of Coke and Pepsi cans by the Consumer Protection Division at the Ministry of Economy last week, reversed this week, started off with consumers in mind. But in the end the controversy caused confusion.

After allegations surfaced that soft-drink distributors had reduced the size of drink cans to 300ml from 355ml, but left the price unchanged at Dh1.50, new regulations and directives were drafted in the name of consumer protection.

These rules, in turn, were met by fresh complaints from retailers, hotels and restaurants. And as The National reported yesterday, the counter-complaints brought counter-directives. Hotels and restaurants can continue selling smaller cans for more than the Dh1.5 price tag. All of which makes us wonder: how much should we pay for a can?

The initial ban on the soft drinks was meant to protect consumers from getting bilked. And there are indeed times when consumers need protecting - from unsafe products, dangerous toys, contaminated imports.

Yet the fizzy drink issue does raise questions about the nature of new regulations in general. As the UAE's consumer laws continue to develop, it is vital that particular attention is given to their unintended consequences. It benefits no one - neither officials, outlets or customers - when new measures are announced as a quick-fix solutions but prove to be problems that cause more headaches down the road.

The consumer-products industry is not the only one that suffers from this. Rules pertaining to property and rental markets, or traffic, have been withdrawn when implementation proves too difficult or counterproductive. Recent laws meant to ban smoking in residential areas have caused consternation and confusion among operators of shisha cafes. And the high cost of complying with food safety regulations has forced some corner shop owners to contemplate closure, clearly not what regulators intended when they drafted rules to keep old milk from resting on store shelves.

Few will argue that most legislation is passed for the benefit of the public. But perhaps the public could wait just a little bit longer for new regulations to be fully examined before implementation.