Sameera Casmod | sameerac@radioislam.co.za
14 October 2024 | 23:57 CAT
1-minute read

The drastic increase in cases of death after consuming poisoned food over the past year in South Africa is a serious cause for concern. Numerous cases of children dying after consuming food purchased from spaza shops have been reported in various provinces, including Gauteng, Eastern Cape, Mpumalanga and the Free State.

Toxicologist Dr Gerhard Verdoorn from the Griffon Poison Information Centre spoke to Radio Islam International and clarified the difference between food poisoning and poisoned food.

Food poisoning refers to the illness caused by bacteria (clostridium or salmonella) or other toxins in food and leads to the development of symptoms such as nausea and diarrhoea within 2-4 hours of consumption.

On the other hand, food that has been contaminated with an agricultural pesticide is referred to as poisoned food. Consumption of poisoned food leads to a toxidrome, which is a syndrome caused by a dangerous level of toxins in the body.

While food poisoning is rarely fatal, the mortality rate from ingesting poisoned food is extremely high, with death ensuing within 1,5-4 hours.

Dr Verdoorn explained that food sold at street vendors and spaza shops is at high risk of contamination because it is removed from its original packaging and not properly sealed. Illegal pesticides, also removed from their packaging, are often placed nearby, leading to contamination.

These pesticides, often sold without a label and necessary warnings, pose the same problem of contamination when taken home by consumers and placed in close proximity to food.

“Spaza shops and street vendors sell these illegal street pesticides to people as a rodenticide. It’s a small little packet with either brown granule or a black granule or a little spray bottle with they call a cockroach fumigant… There’s no labelling on it, doesn’t tell you what the hazards are, and then it becomes unfortunately mixed up with the foodstuffs,” Dr Verdoorn said, adding that very often, maize meal laced with aldecarbon turbophosphate is sold as a rat poison- which people then mistakenly mix with their food.

Dr Verdoorn recommends that all South Africans take extra care to buy properly packaged and sealed foods to avoid ingesting contaminated foods.

Listen to the full interview on Sabaahul Muslim with Moulana Sulaimaan Ravat.