More environmental health practitioners needed to prevent food poisoning incidents: DA

The recent cases of food poisoning that have claimed the lives of several children highlight the lack of sufficient environmental health practitioners (EHPs) to inspect food sold by vendors and spaza shop owners, the DA said on Sunday. 

The lack of sufficient EHPs — responsible for enforcing health standards, educating businesses and conducting inspections — posed a serious risk to public safety, the party said in a statement.

The DA said according to the World Health Organisation and South Africa’s own national environmental health policy, there should be one EHP for every 10,000 people.

“However, we are failing to meet this benchmark, leaving many communities, especially those densely populated and at high risk, without the necessary protections to ensure safe food handling and sales. 

“The latest figures show that South Africa has only 1,712 EHPs, a fraction of the 6,203 required for adequate coverage,” the DA said. 

It said unless underlying issues were addressed, food poisoning incidents would become more frequent, posing a constant threat to vulnerable populations, particularly young children. 

The DA called on the Department of Health to implement rigorous, unannounced inspections of vendors and spaza shop owners and establish training programmes for informal food handlers to minimise the risk of contamination and foodborne illnesses. 

“It is imperative that the government prioritises the recruitment and deployment of EHPs across all provinces, especially in high-density areas, to safeguard public health.” 

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