EDTEA seizes more than 100kg of ‘risky’ expired meat products

Four people have been arrested and more than 100kg of meat products have been removed from supermarket shelves during Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs (EDTEA) business inspections at the weekend.

EDTEA, which conducted the inspections at several businesses in uPhongolo, said in a statement that the four suspects, including two Chinese nationals, who were working at businesses, had allegedly failed to produce documentation showing they were in the country legally.

“They were detained pending investigations into their immigration status,” EDTEA said.

The business inspections, led by MEC Ravi Pillay and comprising officials from Labour, Health, Immigration Services and KZN Gaming and Betting, focused on compliance with business and Covid-19 regulations. Two outlets, a hair salon and a supermarket, were shut down temporarily to ensure they attend to and address some of the safety concerns identified during the inspections. 

“More than 100 kilograms of meat products which were past their sell-by dates and other expired food products were also removed from the shelves of a retail supermarket.  Some of the sell-by dates on the products dated back to March,” EDTEA said.

Pillay expressed concern about the sale of expired foods saying similar transgressions had been witnessed during similar campaigns in other parts of the province. He said these products posed a health risk to consumers and were a violation of consumer rights.

He said the inspections were not targeting foreign nationals. 

“We are part of Africa and the world but we want to ensure that everyone who is in the country is here legally because that helps us to also protect them from exploitation,” Pillay said.

Pillay said it was in everybody’s interest to obey the Covid-19 regulations as this would help to avoid an increase in infections which would lead to tighter regulations.

Pillay also handed over two industrial sewing machines and two over-locker sewing machines to two cooperatives in the area as part of the government’s support of cooperatives and SMMEs. He said that within the next three months, his department would make disbursements to more than 1000 operation Vula beneficiaries. 

He added that the support of cooperatives extended beyond funding disbursements as the department wanted to ensure that small businesses are sustainable in the long term.

MEC Pillay said SMMEs and cooperatives had a big role to play in the economic recovery efforts.