Food Control

Food is a fundamental human need, a basic right and a prerequisite to health. The human body depends on the energy, protein, vitamins and minerals found in a variety of foods to survive and remain strong.

However it is also the major source of exposure to pathogenic agents, both chemical and biological. Foods contaminated impose substantial health risks to consumers.

The Foodstuffs, Cosmetics and Disinfectants Act, 1972 (Act 54 of 1972) controls the sale, manufacturing and importing of foodstuffs, cosmetics and disinfectants.

The Environmental Health Services Division has a Food quality and Safety programme in place to monitor, evaluate, control and regulate the quality and safety of food products, with the ultimate to reduce and / or eliminate health risks (e.g. food poisoning).

The programme entails:

• Certification and licensing of food outlets.


• Investigations and inspections of food premises.


• Investigating reported food poisoning cases.


• Investigating food related complaints.


• Executing food sampling activities.


• Food related education and promotion.

• Buy from a clean establishment (shop, café, supermarket or tuck shop).


• Buy where there are no visible signs of pests (cockroaches etc.).


• Don’t buy food in broken packets or tins that are blown, dented, rusted and / or punctured.


• Look for “best before” and “expiry dates”.


• Make sure pre-packed foodstuffs are labeled.


• Check that fridges / freezers are cold, clean and not over stocked.


• Don’t keep raw and cooked food together in the fridge / freezer.


• Don’t buy dry edible foodstuffs when not properly covered.


• Don’t buy unpasteurized milk (raw milk).


• Buy meat from a registered butcher or supermarket.


• Always buy perishable foods last to ensure good cold chain.


• Don’t carry foodstuffs in the same bag with cleaning materials.


• Don’t carry raw food and cooked food together in the same bag.


• Get foodstuffs as quick as possible to your home (especially perishables).

• Inadequate cooking of contaminated raw food, and inadequate re heating of pre cooked food so that the temperature is not sufficiently high to kill the micro–organisms.


• Keeping cooked food at temperatures that favour the growth of micro–organisms. Bacillus cereus is a special problem because it forms spores that are relatively resistant to heat, and these spores are commonly on cereal grain. If cooked rice is kept warm (this happen so often in take–aways) the spores germinate and organism multiplies, producing its toxin.


• Cross contamination between raw and cooked food. The micro–organisms on the raw food are carried onto the cooked food.


• Poor personal hygiene in food handlers. Think of all the bad habits – nose picking, touching ears, dirty hair, cigarette smoking while preparing food, not washing hands, preparing food when sick or with open sores, coughing and sneezing over food.


• Breaking the cold chain of foodstuffs especially perishables.

• Monitoring and sampling of milk.


• Certification of all milk shops, distributors and milk sheds.