Stacks of expired chicken, packets of powdered milk and canned food and a filthy kitchen are some of the discoveries made by a team of Nelson Mandela Bay municipal health inspectors during a food blitz in Kwazakhele on Wednesday.
The operation was led by public health portfolio head Yolisa Pali and assistant director of environmental health services, Nicky Oliphant.
Pali said with outbreaks of diseases such as listeriosis in SA recently, they wanted to make sure that everyone selling food complied with the health regulations.
She said it was important to relay to shop owners why the officials were there and also educate them on compliance.
Teams of officials visited the Daku SPAR, Shoprite and Boxer in Kwazakhele. At a spaza shop in Njoli Road, they found mattresses and two cats living in the shop.
At Shoprite they found rat droppings in the bakery, expired chicken and a filthy chicken rotisserie machine.
Principal environmental health practitioner Fay Meltz found that the rotisserie machine had not been cleaned in months.
The extractor was clogged up, “which means the fumes are not exiting the machine”.
Meltz said the condition of the chicken grill could lead to food poisoning.
Rat droppings were found nearly everywhere at the Shoprite deli, and food items had been placed on the floor, which, according to health regulations, is not allowed.
Senior environmental health officer Heidi Marais said they had found expired chicken in the fridge at Shoprite and also discovered that the grease trap had not been cleaned.
“Every business that operates with cooking oil needs a grease trap so it doesn’t go to the municipal pipes because the grease will block drains. Fat blocks pipes,” Marais said.
Shoprite branch manager Ayanda Steto complained to his workers that they knew what should be done but were not executing their duties.
“People know what they need to do but they’re not doing it and now look, I’m busy answering questions because of them,” Steto said.
Alarfat spaza shopkeeper Mohamed Hassan refused to let officials inside to inspect the shop, saying the owner was in town.
Officials threatened to close down the shop on the corner of Mase and Njoli roads and Hassan eventually let them in.
They found expired canned food, dented cans and pain medication that he was not authorised to sell.
The Alarfat spaza shop did not have an electricity box but an illegal electricity connection from the property next door.
Ntombekhaya Moyi, whose yard Alarfat trades from, was asked if she had received consent from the municipality to trade as a business and she said that she had not.
“I didn’t know that I was supposed to do that but I’m going to apply for consent,” Moyi said.
Oliphant said a proper assessment needed to be done, while Pali said she was disappointed with the findings of the food inspection.
“We’re here for the safety and health of the community. What we found here today was bad.
“Shoprite did not meet standards,” Pali said.
“People operating shops don’t have an interest in the health of our people but are rather interested in money.”
Two spaza shops were closed down by the inspectors due to non-compliance.
Four hawkers were also told to stop operating because they did not have the relevant hawker’s licence.