SA's food poisoning crisis: government skirted the real issues

The government declared a national disaster towards the end of last year in response to an outbreak of food-borne illnesses.

- Mamokete Modiba & Samiksha Singh

The outbreak had led to the tragic deaths of over 20 children and hospitalization of hundreds.

Investigations by the National Institute for Communicable Diseases attributed the outbreak to hazardous pesticides such as terbufos and aldicarb.

The pesticides, used in agriculture, have infiltrated the informal market as unregulated "pesticides" for rat control, resulting in food contamination.

In response, the government announced several measures.

One was that all food handling outlets, including informal retailers - spaza shops - had to register with their municipalities.

It also introduced widespread inspection of these outlets for compliance with regulations and health standards.

However, based on our research work at the Gauteng City-Region Observatory (GCRO) over the past decades, they fall short of what is required.

In addition, certain aspects, such as mandatory registration and mass inspection of food outlets, may prove difficult to implement effectively.