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An unfortunate number of children have recently died in different Gauteng areas after allegedly consuming food they bought at local spaza shops.

EWN reported on four children from Soweto and the West Rand who died in two separate incidents after eating food from spaza shops, while the Gauteng Department of Education confirmed police were looking into the circumstances around the death of a grade three learner in Roodepoort who allegedly died after eating biscuits purchased from a local spaza shop.

Now the quality of food being sold at spaza shops is under the spotlight, with a call on the relevant government departments to strengthen their oversight and health inspections of food sold by street vendors and spaza shops.

Fake foods, also known as counterfeit or adulterated foods, are products that are intentionally misrepresented or tampered with, posing significant risks to public health and safety, Daily Maverick reports. The fake food products include diluted or contaminated beverages, counterfeit alcoholic beverages, counterfeit spices, and falsely labelled expired or low-quality food items.

Contaminated products may contain harmful substances, such as toxic chemicals, allergens, or unsanitary ingredients, which could cause food poisoning, allergic reactions and long-term health complications along with death.

Some of these deceptive practices are driven by greedy individuals who care more about their business bottom line than the health and well-being of their customers.

IOL reports that about three kilometres from Krugersdorp, tucked behind Lodirile Secondary School, is a production hub of fake beans, packaged as Koo beans, fake cornflakes, spaghetti, noddles, cough syrup, fake cool drinks such as Lemon Twist and Coca-Cola, milk, and Grand-Pa medication for headaches.

@africa_dzongaIllegal manufacturing of food in Johannesburg by foreign spaza shop owners♬ original sound – AFRICA

Shockingly, they apparently even produce laxative tablets and condoms, which are recycled from used condoms or fake condoms branded as Lovers Plus condoms.

While the spaza shops provide convenience and accessibility to township and rural communities, they are often unregulated, flying under the radar without effective oversight and regulation. This lax monitoring allows immoral business folk to sell fake foods without consequence.

Environmental health practitioners need to step up big time in order to effectively regulate and check on the practices of these spaza shops to ensure that the food sold is safe and genuine. Alongside this, there needs to be an upsurge in community awareness campaigns to help educate consumers about the risks of fake foods.

[source:dailymaverick&iol]