Amid a massive focus on food safety in South Africa, the City of Cape Town has revealed a 55% increase in food safety-related service requests.
During the latter part of 2024, many more residents complained about expired food and unhygienic practices at shops. This compared to the same period in 2023.
In 2023, the public logged 128 service requests for food-related matters.
Most complaints relate to dates of durability (or what people perceive as expired foodstuff), unhygienic conditions at food premises and food quality concerns.
In 2024, the number increased by 55% to 199, with notable increases in November and December compared to the previous year.
Fines issued by Environmental Health Practitioners also more than doubled in the last few months of 2024.
It comes after several high-profile incidents that put food safety squarely in the spotlight.
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Following a national government directive, the City’s Environmental Health Service also received over 6500 applications from spaza shop owners to be registered. The bulk of these applications came from Area East, i.e. Khayelitsha, Mitchells Plain, Strand and surrounds.
The Mayoral Committee Member for Community Services and Health, Patricia Van der Ross, says the increase in complaints tracks with the increased publicity around food safety matters.
“It’s an indication of greater public awareness, although we are under no illusion that much work still needs to be done, amongst businesses but also consumers. For example, there is no such thing as expired food in South African law. It is critical that we all develop an understanding of the regulations, and also how food labelling works to reduce the risk of misinformation and ultimately, food waste.”
She says while the focus has been on businesses, it is important to remember that food safety is as critical in the home.
This includes knowing how to handle and appropriately store food items, but also effective hygiene like handwashing and cleaning surfaces to prevent cross-contamination.
CERTIFICATES OF ACCEPTABILITY
As a minimum from a health point of view, any person or premises handling foodstuffs for public consumption must have a valid Certificate of Acceptability (COA) issued by the relevant local authority.
A COA is a legal document indicating that a food-handling premises complies with the hygiene and food safety standards as outlined in government regulations.
A ‘food premises’ means a building, structure, stall or other similar structure, and includes a caravan, vehicle, stand or place used for or in connection with the handling of food and “handle” includes the manufacturing, processing, producing, packing, preparing, keeping, offering, storing, transporting or displaying of food for sale or for serving.
This certificate must be visibly displayed to inform the customer that the premises meet the minimum hygiene and food safety standards. Customers are encouraged to take a moment to verify this important certification before making food purchases.
The City has encouraged businesses to apply for a COA by registering as a Business Partner on the City’s e-Services portal, where applications can be made online under the Environmental Health Services link.
‘EXPIRED’ FOODSTUFF
The City has clarified there is NO provision for ‘expired food’ in the current South African Labelling Regulations. It is therefore incorrect to refer to expired food.
The regulations do however dictate that all foodstuff have a clearly indicated date marking on the label:
• ‘Best Before’, which generally applies to shelf-stable products that do not require refrigeration (canned goods, rice, pasta, cereal, biscuits etc.)
• ‘Sell By’, which is the date by which it should leave the store, to give the consumer reasonable time to use the product at home
• ‘Use By’, which is the most critical, and generally applies to meat, dairy or any other perishable product
“It is also important to note that, with shelf-stable goods (items that are sealed and do not require refrigeration), food items could still be safe to use, but the nutritional value may diminish after the ‘Best Before’ date.”
Perishables and cold chain goods should not be sold past the use-by dates.
Members of the public who have health-related concerns or complaints about businesses can contact their local Environmental Health Office for assistance via their local clinic or the City’s Technical Operations Centre on 0860 103 089.
For more information visit the City’s website.
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