Hot food ban cooked level 3

Photo: Pixabay

Hot food back on the menu: Cooked items to be sold in stores again

The Level 3 regulations seem to resemble something like normality. Ebrahim Patel has retracted the ban on hot food items, as they return to sale on 1 June.

Hot food ban cooked level 3

Photo: Pixabay

Trade Minister Ebrahim Patel has redeemed himself in the eyes of many citizens, after he confirmed that hot food will be sold in supermarkets during Level 3 – following a controversial ban implemented in April.

Patel came in for widespread criticism when he announced that cooked items could not be purchased in shops, citing the alleged health dangers which may come with ‘keeping people waiting’ in one place.

Hot food is back on the menu at Level 3

His defence was roundly rubbished, and even sparked a legal case launched by the DA. However, less than six weeks after the fiasco made national headlines, it would seem a resolution has been hammered out:

“Delivery services, like drive-thru and pick-up services, will be open. You’ll also be able to go to takeaways and get hot foods, if you go into a supermarket you’ll be able to get things like the grilled chicken – but all of this will be with clear physical distancing protocols.”

Trade Minister Ebrahim Patel

What is – and isn’t – allowed in the food industry

Many service workers rely on the convenience of a pre-cooked meal. Hot food items, from the likes of Woolies, Checkers and Pick n Pay, are a popular choice for many South Africans ‘on the go’. The decision forms part of many new regulations introduced for Level 3 of our lockdown.

Consumers can also use drive-thru services and even collect their meals from restaurants, for the first time since lockdown began at the end of March. The move is seen as a major positive for the industry, who can now encourage even more business to come their way. Food outlets, however, cannot allow sit-down meals.