GEORGE NEWS - The public plays a vital role in food industry. It is important that they check food labels and ensure that they understand what the information on them means.
In the front page story this week George Herald reported on the closure of three spaza shops and a restaurant during a blitz by environmental health practitioners (EHPs) of Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM): Scuzzy spazas closed in blitz
These environmental health practitioners provided the following useful information to take into account when shopping, explaining the difference between 'best before', 'use by' and 'expiry' dates.
Best before
The 'best before' date signifies the end of the period during which the product, under any stated storage conditions, will remain fully marketable and will retain any specific qualities for which tacit or express claims have been made. However, beyond this date, the food may still be perfectly satisfactory.
Best before dates are an indication of quality rather than safety. You can still eat food after its best before date, but its flavour and texture are most likely not as good as before the date. Best before dates are usually displayed on products that do not require refrigeration or freezing.
Use by
The 'use by' date signifies the end of the estimated period after which the product, under the stated storage conditions, probably will not have the quality attributes expected by consumers, and after which the food should not be regarded as marketable.
Use by dates state the time up to which a food is safe to eat. They are generally found on high-risk foods that require refrigeration, such as fish, meat products, pre-prepared foods and dairy products. Using food after its use-by-date can put you at risk of food poisoning. This is the 'expiry date' as we know it.
Selling food past best before dates
The customer must be informed of the date and the reason why the product is marked down. Only food products with a best before date can be sold after the date - if the conditions as stated on the label, for example storage or packaging, are still intact.
When to remove products from shelves
Environmental health practitioners have the right to remove any food products from shelves to detain it, relating to the severity of its unsuitability.
If a can of baked beans on the shelves has a dent, is rusted or a label has been removed for any reason, it must be removed from the shelves and disposed of.
If the food product is past its best before date, with no visible signs of deterioration and stored under prescribed storage conditions, the EHP can remove that specific product, detain all with the same batch number and send for analysis of that product.
Contact the GRDM offices on 044 803 1525 or send an email to info@gardenroute.gov.za to lodge complaints.
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