The need for stricter food safety measures in South Africa’s informal markets has been highlighted by recent incidents following purchases from what are known as spaza shops, which are common in informal areas.
Concerns over the safety of products sold in spaza shops have been raised following reports of suspected food poisoning, which led to deaths and health complications, News24 reported.
The news outlet said a woman in KwaZulu-Natal claimed to have discovered two surgical masks inside a packet of frozen chicken. The spaza shop owner blamed his supplier.
There is no indication at this stage whether the frozen pack can be traced back to the packager. Nor is there any indication of whether the chicken was imported or locally produced.
Like other food products, chicken packs must be traceable back to source. Local chicken packs have to meet strict packaging and food safety conditions.
Chicken imports arrive in frozen bulk packs. Some is used by importers to make up their own frozen IQF packs, which are more traceable than previously as regulations have been tightened. However, some imports and locally produced repackaged chicken are sold on down the line where regulatory oversight is less strict.
Back in 2017, parliament was told that some imported chicken was sold “to the bottom end of the market” and ended up in spaza shops.
MPs heard that chicken was “broken down in warehouses and factories in unhygienic, uncontrolled conditions” and sold cheaper than the local product. The bulk of chicken imports are destined for the lowest income markets where spaza shops feature prominently.
Are these unsafe practices continuing, and is this how strange items can end up in frozen chicken packs sold by spaza shops to low-income consumers?
Recent incidents have prompted the government to consider regulating spaza shops. They need to go much further, investigating the source of the food items these shops sell.
The conditions under which food is packaged for the poorest segment of the market is a national food safety issue.
