Gauteng Education Department suspends school food sales amid rise in foodborne illness cases

The Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) has instructed all schools to suspend the sale of food within and around school premises until further notice.

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The Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) has instructed all schools to suspend the sale of food within and around school premises until further notice. This decision follows the recent increase in incidents of foodborne illnesses affecting learners across various schools in the province.

“Gauteng Education MEC Matome Chiloane said the Department has grown concerned by how many of these incidents have both lead to illness among learners, and loss of life.

“We are implementing immediate measures to safeguard the health and wellbeing of our learners. Schools and SGBs are instructed to closely monitor and regulate vendors, tuckshops, and other outlets that sell food to learners,” Chiloane said, issuing guidelines for schools to follow.

The department has called on schools to enforce these guidelines rigorously and to report instances of non-compliance to both the district office, as well as the Department of Health.

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“To further protect learners, schools and SGBs are advised to issue a circular to parents encouraging them to prepare meals at home instead of providing lunch money until the relevant authorities issue updated guidelines for food vendors,” said Chiloane. “Additionally, schools are encouraged to engage community organisations, education stakeholders, and small business associations to foster collaborative efforts aimed at preventing further incidents of foodborne illness.”

Schools must ensure:

Only food of nutritional value is sold within or near school premises.
No expired or repackaged food items are sold to learners.
Any individual or business selling food to learners complies with Regulation 638 of June 22, 2018, which governs the safety and acceptability of food.
Schools, SGBs, vendors and traders must familiarise themselves with the provision above.

Prior Guidelines issued by GDE to regulate food sales to learners:

All food vendors and traders must obtain a Certificate of Acceptability by contacting their local Health Department’s environmental health division before selling any food to learners.
Food premises or stalls must be inspected and approved before operating.

SGBs are responsible for ensuring vendors’ compliance with these regulations, which include verification that all food items are properly barcoded and sourced from reputable