City cracks the whip on food outlets

THE eThekwini Municipality seems to be intensifying its food and safety campaign after conducting regular visits to food establishments to ensure they are meeting health and safety requirements. The Municipality’s Health Unit is clamping down on food service businesses that are not following proper health and safety regulations, and the government has been inspecting multiple Durban businesses.

On March 12, Roots Butchery, located in Pinecrest Mall in Pinetown, was served with a notice of prohibition after it failed to meet health requirements and is required to obtain a Certificate of Acceptability before resuming its operations.

On Friday, April 19, another business, Frendo’s Chicken, located on Dr AB Xuma Street in Durban, was closed down due to multiple violations of health and safety regulations.

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The closure of Frendo’s Chicken comes after a thorough inspection revealed non-compliance with essential standards, posing significant risk to public health. “Some of the violations include trading without a valid Certificate of Acceptability, failure to provide records of food-handler training and pest control certification. The establishment also had an absence of supplier records and contravened Section 7(2) of the eThekwini Municipality: Food, Milk, and Milk Products By-Law 2022,” said the City in a recent statement.

According to the municipality, there were also structural issues identified, including the lack of an approved building plan and inadequate ventilation. “The City’s Health Unit also found unauthorised use of the storeroom for sleeping accommodation and compromised drainage infrastructure.”

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Rose Van Heerden, Head of the City’s Health Unit, said the eThekwini Municipality is committed to enforcing food and hygiene standards.

“We found serious non-compliance at this shop. We also noticed that the same premises had three different food establishments operating.

We are working with the metro police to conduct regular patrols to prevent Frendo’s from reopening illegally. Well done to our team of Environmental Health Practitioners for always putting public health first,” said Van Heerden.

The City’s ongoing food safety and hygiene campaign has made a significant impact since it was launched in August. “The campaign is focused on raising awareness, educating and encouraging adherence to food and hygiene safety standards,” said the City in a previous Facebook post.

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