GEORGE NEWS - Food safety was on everyone's lips during the celebration of World Environmental Health Day last Wednesday, 26 September. A highly successful interactive information session was held at the Thembalethu community hall, attended by informal and formal food and meat traders, small farmers, caterers, crèche cooks and community members from Thembalethu.
This year marks the seventh celebration of the event in South Africa, in recognition of the need to improve environmental health to protect human health.
The theme for 2018 is "Global Food Safety and Sustainability", aiming to support the provision of safer food, cultivate sustainable use of precious water and nutrient resources and encourage communities to increasingly value sustainable food production, distribution and consumption.
The objectives of the event were to educate, share and discuss the legal requirements in the food industry as well as major threats to food safety, in particular the incorrect handling of foodstuff; climate change; antimicrobial resistance; antibiotics in meat; food wastage and access to safe water and chemicals.
Tony Dyers of the Veterinarian Service delivered a presentation on meat safety, followed by Dr Dyason of the Department of Agriculture, who shared facts about rabies in animals.
The Environmental Health Practitioners (EHPs) of the George Municipal Health Office enlightened attendees on counterfeit foodstuffs; "best before" dates and the five keys to safer food.
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