As South Africa grapples with a growing epidemic of food poisoning, the fate of informal food outlets, particularly spaza shops, hangs delicately in the balance. Recent statistics reveal that over 20 lives were tragically lost due to food poisoning last year. Last week, over 200 children from Kagisho Secondary School, in Free State, were hospitalised after a suspected food poisoning outbreak. This incident added to the about 3 000 suspected food poisoning cases reported to the Notifiable Medical Conditions System recently.
Recent investigations into food poisoning cases pointed to hazardous pesticides as the catalyst behind the incidents. While these chemicals are often used for rodent control, their presence in food has raised health concerns.
In the light of this, President Cyril Ramaphosa has initiated a directive requiring that all food-handling…
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Cape Argus (Digital) - 1 Issue, 2025-03-19