Government must act now to ensure food safety

Hardly a week goes by without news of children falling ill or dying after consuming food bought from spaza shops.

In the latest case in the Eastern Cape, six pupils from Qonce fell ill, and in a separate incident one child died, after they ate snacks bought from a spaza shop.

Several other children have been rushed to hospital in recent weeks, a number of them dying, after having consumed contaminated food.

It has become so widespread, with cases having been reported in Gauteng, Limpopo, the Eastern Cape, Free State and KwaZulu-Natal.

And though it is not clear what the source of the poison is, the government’s approach to the matter appears to be more reactionary than proactive.

This food safety issue should worry us all.

Many communities in SA rely on spaza shops for food because their homes are far from supermarkets and they cannot afford to take a taxi to a shopping centre for a loaf of bread and other small items.

While testing was being conducted in all cases, health minister Aaron Motsoaledi revealed last week that the death of six children in Naledi, Soweto, was caused by an organophosphate called Terbufos.

Terbufos is a highly toxic organophosphate pesticide mainly used in agriculture to control pests.

It is classified as extremely hazardous and can lead to death. Because it is so toxic, Terbufos requires strict handling.

Though the substance has been banned in the EU, it continues to be used in SA.

Having these kinds of substances easily sold by spaza shops and street vendors is the problem; these need to be properly regulated.

There also needs to be regular health inspections at spaza shops, as well as larger retail supermarkets, to ensure they comply with health and safety standards.

It also comes down to tracking where the food is manufactured and stored.

We cannot just sit back while people are dying because the safety of the food they consume is not guaranteed.

The government must act now.

HeraldLIVE