Image for illustrative purposes. Picture: iStock
The Gauteng provincial government finds an average of 270 non-compliant food establishments a month, the provincial legislature has heard.
Gauteng Department of Health Member of the Executive Council (MEC) Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko revealed the stat in a written response to a question posed by the Democratic Alliance (DA).
As well as the number of non-compliant outlets, the MEC listed food poisoning and fatality figures, and the department’s actions to address the issue.
President Cyril Ramaphosa announced last week that a firmer hand will be used to deal with non-compliance, however, a pattern had already been established.
Gauteng has seen 423 food poisoning cases involving children 14 years old and younger since 2020, with 2023’s 152 cases being higher than the previous three years combined.
2024 was higher still, with the number of cases rising to 165 so far this year.
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Nkomo-Ralehoko didn’t give an annual breakdown of non-compliance reports, but her figures show a violation at one in every 19 outlets.
“Over the past five years, a total of 319,662 formal food establishments were inspected by health authorities in Gauteng,” stated the MEC’s written response.
“Of these, 16,240 establishments were found to be non-compliant with food safety regulations,” the MEC continued.
No children were reported to have died from food poisoning cases from 2020 to 2022, but the tally is up to 23 for the following two years.
“The lack of health inspectors is putting the lives of our residents at risk,” stated Nazley Sharif, DA Gauteng spokesperson for Economic Development.
“In order to prevent contamination of food, strict protocols need to be followed when preparing food, especially by restaurants and fast-food outlets,” Sarif added.
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Nkomo-Ralehoko stressed that while environmental health policies had not changed, children were making greater use of spaza shops to purchase food.
“Environmental Health Practitioners regularly inspect and monitor food vendors near schools to ensure compliance with food safety regulations,” the MEC stated.
Wherever food poisoning cases are registered, the department engages in community outreach initiatives focused on food safety.
The programmes involve consumers and sellers and highlight food storage, personal hygiene, expiry dates and more.
“Special attention is given to ensuring that food from feeding schemes is handled safely to prevent contamination and support healthy food consumption among learners,” stated Nkomo-Ralehoko.
The department’s five keys to safer food focus on:
To combat the issue on a national level, the President is mandating that all spaza shops and food-handling facilities must register with their municipalities within three weeks.
“Any shop that is not registered within 21 days and does not meet all health standards and requirements will be closed,” Ramaphosa said.
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