South Africa declares food poisoning crisis a national disaster

At least 22 children have died as the authorities link cases to pesticide-tainted food from local vendors

South Africa has declared a food poisoning outbreak a national disaster following the deaths of at least 22 children and hundreds of reported illnesses across the country, a local news agency reported on Thursday. 

The crisis has been traced to food contaminated with insecticide compounds allegedly sold in township convenience stores known as spaza shops.  

President Cyril Ramaphosa unveiled an emergency response plan last week, ordering all spaza shops and food-handling facilities to register with their municipalities within 21 days. 

“Any shop that is not registered within 21 days and does not meet all health standards and requirements will be closed,” Ramaphosa stated in a televised address. 

The plan also includes stricter regulation of pesticide use. Ramaphosa announced inspections of licensed manufacturers of terbufos, an agricultural pesticide linked to the poisonings, to ensure the product is not diverted for unauthorized purposes. He pledged to strengthen protocols for traceability, repackaging, and disposal of pesticides and foodstuffs. 

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Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen clarified that the terbufos found in tainted food likely did not originate from South Africa’s five licensed manufacturers. 

“If one looks at the pictures of what has been found in spaza shops, it differs quite significantly from the color and texture of locally produced terbufos,” Steenhuisen said. 

The chemical was identified in three out of 84 inspected spaza shops in Soweto, while fatalities and hospitalizations were reported across five provinces. 

Health inspectors have launched nationwide raids, confiscating expired food items and intensifying oversight of food safety in local stores. However, Minister of Small Business Development Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams emphasized that the problem extends beyond spaza shops. 

“The reports indicate that South Africa has more than 150,000 spaza shops and, on the death report that has been presented from the investigation teams, it’s not even 50% of the spaza shops,” she said. 

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In 2023, South Africa experienced a listeriosis outbreak in three provinces. Gauteng recorded the highest number of cases (581), followed by Western Cape (118) and KwaZulu-Natal (70).