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| ISSUE: Potential health risks associated with food
production |
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| There are potential health
risks associated with formal and informal food production. This places a risk, especially
on inhabitants of informal settlements and adds to the spread of disease. |
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| Deregulation of the food
industry and the licensing of food premises have resulted in a well established informal
food trade in the CMA, often carried on with a total disregard for health and hygiene
requirements or compliance with statutory requirements. |
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Informal food trade:
- Unsuitable food handling and storage
practices are posing potential health risks.
- Insufficient consumer knowledge regarding
content and quality of products offered for sale.
- Potential health risks associated with
cross-contamination of food products.
Informal slaughtering of animals for sale
of meat:
- There is no control over meat safety due to
a lack of meat inspection.
- Unhygienic food handling practices are
prevalent and give rise to cross-contamination of meat.
- Slaughter by-products cause a nuisance and
environmental pollution e.g. of air, soil and water.
- Unsuitable slaughtering facilities are
posing potential health risks and are a public nuisance.
- Informal slaughtering makes use of inhumane
slaughtering practices.
Dairy industry:
- The status of the dairy industry in the
townships is unknown.
- Bacteriological standards were exceeded much
more frequently in pasteurised milk sold via bulk tanks compared to packaged milk. In
1998, approximately 77% of samples taken of pasteurised bulk retail milk exceeded the
standard for coliform bacteria. In the same period, over 18% of samples taken of
pasteurised packaged milk exceeded this standard.
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The following indicator is
monitored by the Directorate: Protection, Health and Trading, CMC:
- Exceedances of the bacteriological standards
as specified in the Foodstuffs, Cosmetics and Disinfectants Act (1972) for packaged milk
and milk sold in bulk tanks.
See a summary of all
Indicators on this website
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The following responses are
underway by the CMC:
- An informal slaughtering project throughout
the CMA is being co-ordinated to improve the health and hygiene aspects associated with
informal slaughtering of animals for the purpose of sale of meat to the public.
- The extension of the dairy produce database
and monitoring programmes for townships has commenced.
The CMC is also participating in the
following initiatives:
- The development of health promotion media
aimed at improving food handling practises and hygiene.
- A CMA Healthy Cities/Local Agenda 21
Initiative, which aims to select environmental health indicators.
- The co-ordination and monitoring of food
sampling programmes in conjunction with the six MLCs in terms of the Foodstuffs, Cosmetics
and Disinfectants Act.
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- Grow your own vegetables.
- Do not buy meat from informal meat traders
or milk from bulk tanks.
- Do not eat foodstuffs from damaged or
bloated tins.
- Wash your hands before preparing or eating
food.
- Report incidences of food poisoning to the
health department of your local authority.
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