The labels need to be marked. Photo: CoCT
The City of Cape Town said it received over 1,000 applications for Certificates of Acceptability (COA) this week and has urged residents to make use of its online tool.
Mayoral committee member for community services and health, Councillor Patricia van der Ross said the surge in applications follows President Cyril Ramaphosa’s announcement last week that spaza shops need to be registered amid numerous food safety incidents around the country in recent months.
A COA is a legal document indicating that a food-handling establishment complies with the hygiene and food safety standards as outlined in the regulations governing the general hygiene requirements for food premises, the transport of food, and related matters, R638 of June 22, 2018.
Environmental Health Practitioners (EHPs) facilitate applications for Certificates of Acceptability. The City of Cape Town emphasised there is no cost associated with these applications.
EHPs are mandated to conduct visits to business premises at least twice a year. Where non-compliance is found, more regular inspections are carried out until the problem is resolved.
“In July 2024, City Health piloted its online COA application process. While EHPs will continue assisting with paper-based applications, the public is advised that the online system is up and running, and very quick to complete. COAs are only awarded on submission of all relevant documentation, and a physical inspection to ensure that the premises comply with legislative requirements,” van der Ross said.
She said in the last week, two incidents were reported in Cape Town which sparked widespread interest namely the makeshift butchery in Mfuleni and the discovery of food past its sell-by date in Khayelitsha.
Investigations into the incidents remain ongoing.
“The City would like to caution against the persistent references to ‘expired’ food. It is important to note that there is no provision for ‘expired food’ in the current South African Labelling Regulations. The regulations do dictate that all foodstuff have a clearly indicated date marking on the label,” van der Ross said.
These clear marking would be:
– Best Before: which generally applies to foods that do not require refrigeration (canned goods, rice, pasta, cereal, biscuits etc.).
– Sell By: which is the date by which it should leave the store, but will still be safe for a reasonable period of time after.
– Use By: this is the most critical, and generally applies to meat, dairy, or any other product that requires refrigeration.
Also important is that, with regard to shelf-stable goods, i.e. items that do not require refrigeration, food items could still be safe to use, but the nutritional value may diminish after the sell-by date. Perishables and cold chain goods should not be sold past the use-by dates.
Members of the public who have health-related concerns or complaints about businesses can contact their local Environmental Health Office for assistance via their local clinic or the City’s Technical Operations Centre at 0860 103 089.
robin.francke@iol.co.za
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