Safety regulations enforced
Chriszanne Janse van Vuuren
Several expired products were taken off the shelves and disposed of when the Department of Health, in collaboration with the Dr Beyers Naudé Local Municipality, police, traffic and fire departments, conducted a raid at shops in Steytlerville on 18 April.
Numerous similar raids have been conducted at spaza shops in GraaffReinet since last year to prevent expired products from being sold to the community at reduced prices.
Food safety is recognised as an essential public health service by the World Health Organisation (WHO), since millions of people around the world fall ill and some even die as a result of eating unsafe food.
The food control section within the health department is responsible for ensuring the safety of food in South Africa.
This service is based on the basic needs of communities and the right of South Africans to make informed food choices without being misled.
The operations in Graaff-Reinet and Steytlerville proved to be very successful as expired products were removed and shops were closed down due to the fact that they did not meet the health and safety requirements.
Fines were also distributed to ensure that shops take this matter seriously. Residents welcomed the raids but expressed the need for ongoing monitoring to ensure that shops continue to adhere to the regulations. "We are hoping for ongoing raids to ensure the safety of consumers who are buying products from these shops," says Justin Malgas, member of the Steytlerville community. "The health department must stay visible to ensure that all shops meet the health and safety requirements and deliver healthy and safe products. We are grateful towards all the stakeholders that were involved in the raid."
“Dennis Fortuin, head of Protection Services in the DBNLM, says that they will be clamping down on shops to make sure they adhere to to the safety requirements.”