Consumer Affairs Commission

The Consumer Affairs Commission (CAC) established to inform, educate and empower consumers to protect themselves in the marketplace. The Agency was formerly known as the Prices Commission which was established based on amendments to the Trade Act passed in July 1970. At the Prices Commission the focus was on price control, as the primary means of protecting the most vulnerable. However, with the changes in the global economy and the focus shifting from control to trade liberalisation in the 1990s, the mission of the Commission was changed to reflect the economic realities.

The Commission’s objective was refocused to equip consumers to make informed decisions within a market driven economy and to be their main advocate if things went wrong. This also heralded an official name change via Cabinet decision in 1992 to the Consumer Affairs Commission (CAC). In 2005, these changes were further reinforced when the Consumer Protection Act (CPA) (amended 2012) was passed, legally establishing the CAC and providing the framework which governs its operations.

Today, the work of the Commission is three pronged: engagement in market research, provision of complaint resolution services and the execution of a vibrant consumer education programme.  The Commission is dedicated to leading the change in the society towards a population of twenty first century Consumers who are knowledgeable, discriminating, vigilant and assertive.

Our mission therefore, is to make Jamaica a better place by enabling ethical relations between Providers and Consumers. Further, in keeping with the tenets of Vision 2030 of making Jamaica the place of choice to live, work and do business, our vision for the CAC is that of a proactive, responsive and technologically-driven Agency that has forged strategic alliances with key stakeholders resulting in responsible consumers and providers who understand and exercise their rights and responsibilities in the Jamaican marketplace.