Over the past month, six children in Gauteng and Free State have died after allegedly eating poisonous food. While investigations are ongoing, it’s likely that food sold in local Spaza shops could have led to their untimely deaths. Incidences such as these are growing, which is concerning.
Today, Spaza shops play an integral role in the functioning of many informal settlements, by contributing to the spirit of entrepreneurship, boosting the informal economy and sustaining households across the country.
Yet, despite the crucial part they play, the recent tragedies have unearthed a challenge which stems from the informal nature of these shops – a lack of oversight in ensuring the quality of goods and services they offer to communities and food safety.
This challenge is deeply concerning, when one recognises the safety risks associated with the consumption of illicit or substandard food.
To address this challenge, non-profit organisation Food Forward SA (FFSA) is taking a leading role in advocating for an amendment to current labelling regulations to promote the donation of safe, edible surplus food from the food system to address the growing incidence of child malnutrition.
“We are calling for an urgent change in regulations to protect and preserve the health of our children,” says Andy Du Plessis, managing director of FFSA. “The introduction of labelling regulations could revolutionise the availability of food, especially nutritious food, and offer our children better access to safe, healthy food.”
A regulatory environment that promotes the reduction of food loss and waste across the food system, will allow supply chain representatives to donate more food, since they already monitor and enforce food quality and safety standards, so that children who are starving do not have to frequent precarious spaza shops and place themselves at risk.
Clearer, more informative regulations also empower parents and caregivers to make informed choices about the food they provide to their children, differentiating between safe and substandard products, and ensures that food waste is reduced at the household level.
In the interim, consumers are advised to exercise extreme caution when purchasing food products, ensuring they determine vital information such as ingredients, nutritional content, storage recommendations, expiry dates, and manufacturing details.
