GEORGE NEWS - The Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM) urges spaza shop owners and other food traders to ensure that food is handled and sold in accordance with national food safety regulations.

The municipality says the growing spaza shop sector plays an important role in communities by making everyday food products more accessible and affordable, particularly to households with limited budgets.

However, certain practices that sell food in smaller quantities may pose contamination risks and are not permitted under national food safety legislation.

According to Johan Compion, GRDM senior manager for municipal health, solid waste management and air quality, spaza shop owners should not repackage products such as sugar, coffee and rice into smaller bags or containers.

Consumers should be offered smaller products that have been commercially packaged and sealed.

The cutting or dividing of perishable food products, including cabbage, polony and bread, is also discouraged where it does not comply with food safety requirements.

“While we understand that selling smaller quantities can help families purchase only what they can afford, some methods used to repackage or divide food products may create a risk of contamination,” said Compion.

The GRDM has called on food traders to take food safety requirements seriously and urged members of the public to report concerns to the municipality.

Report concerns to Johan Compion on 082 803 5161 or [email protected].

More information is available on the GRDM’s official information channels.

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