Following recent incidents of sudden illness or death of community members, especially children, who buy contaminated or expired food at spaza and tuck shops, the Lesedi Local Municipality (LLM) inspected several shops in the area on Friday.
Local and foreign-owned shops in Rensburg, Shalimar Ridge as well as local schools were searched for fake or expired foods.
LLM’s health department, MMC Thulani Mashinini (community services) together with Heidelberg SAPS and LLM traffic conducted the inspection of the outlets, removing expired food items and products.
“We want to take a proactive stance and act before we encounter another incident of food poisoning or the death of another youth,” said Mashinini.
“We need to address the issue of expired food being sold in the community, which poses a risk of illness.
“We must ensure all food sold is approved and not expired,” added Mashanini.
According to reports, three supermarkets were already closed due to non-compliance and their trading licenses were revoked.
“We also conducted inspections at larger local stores to demonstrate impartiality, ensuring that all supermarkets and shops are treated equally.”
“There were items that were removed from the shelves as well.
“We will continue with these raids unannounced so we can get rid of all the food that is not good for consumption.
“If this problem persists, we will urge the Minister of Health to declare a state of emergency since we haven’t established the main source of this food poisoning,” Mashanini continued.
Mashanini concluded by extending his appreciation to Heidelberg SAPS, Lesedi Municipality Traffic, Ratanda Safety Forum, health inspector, immigration officers and all the stakeholders for assisting in the day’s activities.
If anyone is aware of any expired items being sold, report it to the Lesedi Call Centre on 016 330 0400.
