Health inspectors ‘must focus on quality of food’
Labour lawyer Michael
Bagraim has urged the government to improve food safety measures in spaza
shops.
There have been numerous cases of people, particularly children, falling ill from suspected poisoning after consuming food bought from local outlets.
Six children died last month in Soweto, while scores more in several provinces, including KZN, have been hospitalised.
Bagraim says something needs to be done about health and safety within South Africa's informal trading sector.
READ: ATM wants govt to impose stricter laws on tuck shops
"The reality is that the inspectors are spending too much time on other stuff as opposed to looking at the quality of the food and the health and safety. They are looking at things like employment equity, which helps no one. A message must go out to [the Department of] Employment and Labour to call for inspectors to actually look at what affects the people."
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