The Food trading sector is responsible for their own food safety management procedures.
Owners/Managers of individual food premises must identify and control food hygiene by means of implementing adequate programmes to prevent any animal or rodent from gaining access to places where food is prepared, handled or stored.
The Eden District Municipality’s Municipal Health Services Section represented within each local town, is the competent enforcement authority for food premises and they should be satisfied that all food businesses, implement adequate control measures to prevent the risk of contamination or any other public health nuisance within the respective premises.
The current legislation which enforces applicable requirements relating to food premises, is the Foodstuffs, Cosmetics and Disinfectant Act, Act. 54 of 1972: (Regulations governing general hygiene requirements for food premises and the Transport of Food Regulation, 962 of 2012), which states the following in Article 10:
Duties of a person in charge of food premises
A Person in charge of food premises shall ensure that –
- No animal, subject to the provisions of any law, is kept or permitted in any room
or area where food is handled, except that – - A guide dog accompanying a blind person may be permitted in the sales or serving area of the food premises.
In terms of permitting guide/service dogs at food premises, it would be advisable for food premises to consider that service dogs are highly trained, to assist people with specific listed medical disabilities.
No animal (including any domestic pet) is allowed at any food premises or any area where food is being served to the public, with the exemption of the above-mentioned scenario.
It, however, remains the responsibility of all food premises owners/managers to empower themselves with knowledge, in terms of their legal obligation regarding the relevant legislation and the requirements contained within the Foodstuffs, Cosmetic and Disinfectant Act, to ensure general compliance of their respective premises.
For more information, contact your nearest Eden Municipal Health Office, at:
⇒ George: 044 803 1522
⇒ Oudtshoorn & Kannaland – 044 272 2241
⇒ Bitou – 044 501 1600
⇒ Mossel Bay – 044 693 0006
⇒ Riversdale – 028 713 2438
⇒ Knysna – 044 382 7214
Ms Melanie Wilson – Manager: Strategic Services
Tel: (w) 044-803 1357 (c) 082 805 5285 / E-mail: melanie@edendm.co.za
