Dated food poses threat to consumers - CGCSA

"Unscrupulous distributors are changing the 'sell-by' or 'best before' or 'use by' dates on food products," states Dr Lucia Anelich of CGCSA's Food Safety Initiative (FSI). "We strongly denounce this activity and urge the public to report any such suspicious incidents."

"Fortunately," she continues, "most food manufacturers in South Africa respect legislation such as the Foodstuffs, Cosmetics and Disinfectants Act which prohibits the sale, manufacture or import of foodstuffs which do not comply with prescribed standards or which are contaminated, impure or decayed and deemed to be harmful or injurious to human health."

In the absence of Food Labelling regulations, many manufacturers and some retailers use the 'best before' and 'use by' dates for consumer convenience and information," continues Dr Anelich. "'Sell by' dates are often added. It is possible that retailers may not be aware of the practice of changing dates and we encourage them to inspect foodstuffs on receipt to determine their country of origin and batch identification, as well as to identify signs of possible tampering."

Product Recall Guidelines ensure that defective products can be removed to ensure the safety of food for consumers.

The CGCSA's recent launch of the Food Safety Initiative is a project intended to minimise the possibility of such unsafe activities which could pose a danger to public health, and to provide an authoritative voice on issues of food safety and security.