A 30-year-old farmer was arrested on a farm near Charl Cilliers in Mpumalanga yesterday for allegedly repacking and distributing expired and rotten food, destined for human consumption, to various retailers.

According to an article published by Mpumalanga News, the man faces charges of contravening the Foodstuffs, Cosmetics and Disinfectants Act, 54 of 1972, and will appear in the Secunda Magistrate’s Court today.

According to Hawks spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Magonseni Nkosi, the farmer allegedly collected expired food from chain stores and other distributors under the pretences of feeding it to his domestic animals.

“When the team of Hawks and Govan Mbeki Local Municipality health inspectors visited the farm, they found two warehouses packed with food not fit for human consumption.

“Four cold storage rooms filled with expired canned products, rotten red meat and chicken meat were found. About 1 000 crates were found fully loaded with expired dairy products, including cheese products. A truck, fitted with a cold room, two light delivery vehicles, one loaded with meat, and an empty LDV were also found. An intense investigation will be conducted on the vehicles,” he says.

Nkosi adds that seven freezers were found in the warehouses with repackaged wheat, flower and maize meal. Equipment used for vacuuming, some scales and plastic sealers were found on the scene, too.

“The recovered items include stickers and pricing machines, which are believed to be used during the repackaging,” he says.