PLETTENBERG BAY NEWS - Crime fighters have been clamping down on shop owners selling expired food products.
Plettenberg Bay Crime Prevention Association (PBCPA) operations head Otto Olivier said they had received complaints of people selling food past the sell-by date, especially in outlying residential areas in the coastal holiday town.
Recently Kwanokuthula police, Bitou law enforcement officers, the Kwano Crime Prevention squad, the Kranshoek Rapid Response and Plett Security Tactical Response unit members followed up on the complaints and confiscated products.
The products, some of which had expired in 2018 already, were taken to the Plett transfer station where it was crushed and destroyed.
Olivier said expired food poses a health risk as it may contain dangerous amounts of harmful bacteria like E.coli and bacteroids. "Bacteria and toxins can cause serious abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhoea, and perhaps even a fever. Some bacterial toxins found in expired food may damage kidneys, possibly leading to a life-threatening situation," Olivier said.
He strongly advised people to check expiry dates before purchasing groceries or canned goods.
"Random operations to monitor expired food goods will be continued."
This operation follows a similar initiative in New Horizons recently.
Some of the expired food products that had been confiscated.
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