GEORGE NEWS - Three spaza shops and a restaurant were closed in George during a recent spaza shop blitz held by environmental health practitioners (EHPs) of the Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM).
These closures were enforced due to poor hygiene standards and the absence of valid certificates of acceptability, as required under the Foodstuffs, Cosmetics, and Disinfectants Act. So says the GRDM in a media statement on 8 November.
The municipality said law enforcement will monitor the closed premises to ensure compliance, while follow-up inspections will be conducted by the respective EH Ps overseeing these areas.
The blitz comes after numerous deaths of children elsewhere in the country who had presumably bought and / or consumed food products from spaza shops that had suspectedly been contaminated by pesticides that are also sold in the shops.
The blitz was part of an operation in various parts of the Garden Route and Klein Karoo and inspections focused on:
- Validity of certificates of acceptability, per Regulation 638 under the Foodstuffs, Cosmetics and Disinfectants Act, 1972 (Act 54 of 1972);
- Overall hygiene standards;
- Proper food labelling;
- Expired products; and
- The illegal sale of poisons or pesticides to the public.
Food safety plan
Herman Pieters, head of communications at GRDM said as the festive season approaches, the Municipal Health Section is set to implement a food safety plan to ensure safe food handling across all food premises, including stalls, retail shops, spaza shops, and mobile vendors in the district.
"The plan is aimed at protecting public health by reducing the risk of foodborne illnesses, also considering the recent food-poisoning related cases reported across the country. EHPs are responsible for ensuring that all food establishments meet hygiene standards to provide safe products to the public," said Pieters.
The plan will focus on regions across the Garden Route, including the Klein Karoo, Knysna, Mossel Bay, Hessequa, Bitou, and Outeniqua areas.
During blitz inspections.
Targets and operations
The campaign will target a variety of food premises and educational facilities, including informal traders, soup kitchens, wholesalers, taxi ranks, shopping centres, and early childhood development facilities. "Inspections will assess pest control, chemical safety, labelling, and ventilation. Chemical and bacteriological sampling, including hand-swabs of identified foods, will be conducted in November," said Pieters.
As part of the plan, weekly awareness sessions and roadblocks in high-traffic areas will be held to further promote health and hygiene.
Community outreach events will involve both the general public and the business sector, with educational sessions and pamphlet distribution at food premises. "Inspections will extend to weekends and after hours as needed, and non-compliant shops will face closure if operating without a certificate of acceptability."
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