A police officer speaks to a child in a small shop selling a variety of items while a man walks past. A spaza shop in Durban. The National Consumer Commission is investigating 18 food suppliers in KwaZulu-Natal for non-compliance with the Consumer Protection Act. Picture: Tumi Pakkies Independent Newspapers.
Durban - The National Consumer Commission said yesterday that it has uncovered and will be investigating non-compliance issues related to 18 food suppliers in KwaZulu-Natal.
National Consumer Commission spokesperson, Phetho Ntaba, said that during week-long inspections in KZN, the 18 suppliers were flagged for
selling foodstuffs that were found to be non-compliant with the Consumer Protection Act in various ways.
“These suppliers failed to label their goods/foodstuffs in accordance with the Consumer Protection Act (there is no trade description, list of ingredients, date markings, manufacturers' contact information).”
Ntaba added that the names of the 18 suppliers cannot be disclosed at this time.
“We will be able to give the names once we have served them with investigation certificates. The service will be finalised by Friday.”
The investigations follow a recent spate of foodborne illnesses that the national government has classified as a national disaster.
Foodborne illnesses have resulted in at least 22 deaths in the past few weeks. In at least one of the incidents, the deaths of six children in Naledi, Soweto, have been linked to a pesticide.
Due to the incidents, multidisciplinary teams have been conducting inspections at businesses throughout the country that sell any food items. In a statement yesterday, the Professional Board for Environmental Health Practitioners (PBEHP)
under the ambit of the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) said it had noted with concern the increasing reports of foodborne and chemical poisoning cases involving children.
“National Disaster Management Centre has classified foodborne illness a national disaster and requested all state organs, private businesses, and communities to work together to overcome this challenge.
“The PBEHP also takes note of the recently gazetted Standard By-laws for Township Economies and welcomes the concerted efforts to address this scourge by all concerned, particularly the government departments and the Environmental Health Practitioners deployed to address this crisis with limited capacity.”
The board cautioned the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, and municipalities on a potential encroachment on the duties of Environmental Health Practitioners.
“This warning comes amid reported cases of unscrupulous individuals and municipal officials who have been uncovered doing the work of Environmental Health Practitioners.”
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