Health blitz exposes expired spices and meat
Hefty fines for breach of food safety by-laws
A BLITZ on eateries and grocery shops in Tongaat, identified by authorities as a high-impact area, led to fines totalling R39 600 being issued on Thursday for various health violations.
These included selling expired food, operating in unhygienic conditions, not having a business licence, not labelling products, and running a shop with poor lighting and ventilation.
The blitz was facilitated by health inspectors from the eThekwini Municipality, together with metro police, fire and emergency, Durban solid waste and business licensing, to ensure food safety.
The health authorities made store owners throw out a number of expired foods, including eggs and spices.
Unlabelled packaged food, such as beans, rice, soya products and dhall, were also thrown out.
Employees at a supermarket on Gopalall Hurbans Road, also known as Old Main Road, were found packaging beans, bird food, spice and rice, among other products, into plastic packets.
This was regarded as a health violation – as no labels were used to provide expiry details. A bakery, which had been red carded for its dirty conditions, was also fined.
While health officials agreed that there was an improvement, they said the staff did not have a cleaning roster and were not packaging ingredients in airtight containers. They were instead leaving the products in their original opened packaging.
Added to this, the grease collector was located near the oven. It collects grease and has a stench, which is not allowed to be near freshly baked goods.
At the back of a tikka shop, an employee was found peeling potatoes without gloves, and the floor had been covered in oil. Chicken, vegetables and fried chips were found exposed to the dirty conditions. The store was closed by officials, who also made an arrest.
A shawarma shop, which stored its food at the wrong temperature, did not have a business licence and its workers were shuffling around in flip-flops instead of the boots required to be worn. It was fined R1 000 for dirty conditions.
Another shawarma shop was also operating in unhygienic conditions, with a lack of ventilation and lighting.
The food blitz aimed to minimise the risk of food-borne illness at formal and informal food premises, such as supermarkets, convenience stores, coffee shops, bakeries and retail meat markets.
Food-borne illnesses can be caused by improper food handling, inadequate temperature control, poor food storage and improper cleaning of equipment and utensils.
Previous blitzes were conducted in Pinetown, the Durban CBD, and Isipingo.
Earlier this year, the Environmental Health Department embarked on a food safety programme after it received a directive from the National Minister of Health, Aaron Motsoaledi.