Durban — The Department of Education in KwaZulu-Natal says it now has a screening programme in order to determine where snacks and food being sold to pupils come from as well as their safety.
This comes as pupils in other provinces died after consuming expired food and sweets.
The head of the department, Nkosinathi Ngcobo, said they are always vigilant when it comes to food poisoning. Pupils should be cautioned to not buy from anywhere and buy from reputable shops, he said.
“They also need to be taught not to buy snacks that have been removed from their original packaging,” he said.
The department’s psychological services units have a programme where they caution pupils about such things, he said.
Education MEC Mbali Frazer said parents should also assist in this matter by making sure that they also have control over what their children are eating.
“Parents should buy their children snacks and pack them for school instead of giving them money. This is to avoid children from buying food stuffs that could put them in danger,” Frazer said.
This could assist parents to be at ease because children could buy from any shop on their way to and from school, she said.
“It’s better at school because we would know what the child ate but once they are out of the premises we also would not have control. The parents should also help, we all need to take responsibility,” Frazer said.
Some 120 pupils were taken to hospital in the Eastern Cape regarding possible food poisoning. “IOL” reported that the Department of Health said the pupils showed various symptoms, including itchiness, shortness of breath, and high temperatures, while others had normal vital signs.
In a related event inspectors uncovered food that could be poisonous at a supermarket in Malukazi at uMlazi. The shop is owned by foreign nationals.
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