Businesses are also advised to improve food safety and hygiene practices in their facilities.

This comes as South Africa try to manage a disaster of food borne illnesses and contaminated food.

More than 20 children died in the last few months from alleged food poisoning with many others hospitalised due to foodborne illnesses.

Contaminated food can lead to severe health consequences.

However, the safe and proper handling, preparing and storing of food can reduce the risk of consumers getting sick from food borne diseases.

According to the Consumer Goods Council of South Africa, it is important to identify the date markings, nutritional information and allergens before buying a product.

Food labels are key in that they convey crucial information about the product’s identity and contents.

The Council’s Food Safety Executive Matlou Setati eleborates, “We always say look at the brand name, name of the product and the address and it must be a physical address it is very critical. Then the date marking is very important in that it tells you when that product was manufactured and when is the best quality buy and that’s what is called the best before date.”

Altered expiry dates have been found on many of the food items during the raids on spaza shops.

A South African food specialist Maphuti Kudu says it is important to start educating children about food labels.

In terms of the Consumer Protection Act, customers have a right to sue the seller of a food item, if that item caused them to get sick or result in a death.

Law expert Harry Thobejane, “You need to take appropriate action in a way of a criminal case needs to be instituted against those people, in particular here we are dealing with the seller of these items, we are not dealing primarily with the producers of the items in question.”

The South African Police Service will continue to work with different stakeholders and open inquest dockets into food borne illnesses in an attempt to bring the guilty parties to book.

--SABC--