Tshwane celebrates food safety in Refilwe
The theme for this year, 'Food Safety: Science in Action', highlights science’s critical role in ensuring the reliability and accuracy of food safety advice provided to governments, food businesses and consumers.
World Food Safety Day is celebrated annually in SA on June 7. The theme for this year, ‘Food Safety: Science in Action’, highlights science’s critical role in ensuring the reliability and accuracy of food safety advice provided to governments, food businesses and consumers.
However, beyond that, it emphasises the crucial need for information and practical data from environmental health practitioners in the field to put scientific guidance into practice.
Ultimately, the assurance of safe food starts only when science-based recommendations are implemented. The provincial and main event celebrating World Food Safety Day for Gauteng is on June 6 in Naledi, Soweto.
In the lead-up to this event, the CoT’s Municipal Health Services regional offices held a series of awareness build-up activities, one being an educational campaign in the Mooiplaats informal settlement in Region 4.
The full Municipal Health Services launched an outreach campaign at the Refilwe informal settlement, Cullinan, Region 5.
This community was previously unincluded in such initiatives because of the lengthy travelling distance. This initiative is a key part of this year’s World Food Safety Day celebrations, hoping to expand education and awareness around food safety in underserved areas.
It will see environmental health practitioners liaise with these informal food businesses without fearing law enforcement. The community said they felt empowered with practical knowledge to continue safer food preparation and store and serve food correctly for all their customers.
The day began with words from Ward Clr Silias Makena and senior leadership from the Municipal Health Services in the Health Department, CoT.
Environmental health practitioners, managers and support staff walked through the settlement, engaging with residents and local food business owners.
The team provided vital information on the correct storage of food, ways it can be contaminated, how to prevent foodborne illnesses and how to make better, safer choices concerning food preparation and consumption. Educational materials, including posters and pamphlets, reinforced the messages.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) published a message for safe food and curbing pandemics (used during Covid-19) called The 5 Keys to Safe Food in posters.
The anticipated outcome included reduced foodborne disease outbreaks, including possible pesticide poisoning from spaza shops, improved working relationships with environmental health practitioners and an invitation to the food outlet owners for any food-related help in ensuring only safe food is prepared and served.
Although the 2025 celebration recognised and celebrated the contribution of science through food-related research and data collection, the ultimate aim is to empower communities to protect their health and well-being through well-informed choices.
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