Representatives of the hospitality industry have urged food establishments to conduct private hygiene audits of their premises to ensure they meet minimum health standards.
This follows a report in The Mercury on Tuesday about the number of food outlets found wanting in terms of minimum health requirements.
The story drew a strong reaction from a number of people. Some said the report should be viewed in context, however, and the situation was not as bad as described.
The city was doing good work in monitoring and enforcing standards, and this should be acknowledged.
The hospitality industry said that food establishments with good hygiene should receive pats on the back.
Those that violated health regulations were not confined to Durban, but could be found in other large cities around South Africa as well.
The provincial chairperson of the Federated Hospitality Association of Southern Africa, Alan Vels, said there was no excuse for unhygienic premises.
He said that Durban food outlets were at a disadvantage, compared with their counterparts in other provinces, because of the city's hot, humid climate, which caused some products to go off quickly.
"This is a problem facing food establishments, no matter where you are in South Africa. Durban has some unique challenges, but the problem of hygiene is not only confined to this city," said Vels.
He said the same standards should apply to inspecting a business conducted by an informal trader in the street and an upmarket restaurant.
"Food outlets should be proactive by ensuring that they conduct hygiene audits of their premises, so when health inspectors come, they will have nothing to hide," Vels said.
His views were echoed by Morne Hattingh, Director of Bio-Science Technologies, a private company that conducts confidential hygiene audits of food establishments in Durban, Pinetown, the Midlands and the South Coast.
Hattingh said a broad spectrum of food establishments were not meeting the health standards because of a lack of training and a perception that managing hygiene was an expensive exercise.
"Owners of food outlets don't see the value of adhering to safety regulations, and employees should be trained to follow the right procedures of hygiene," said Hattingh.
He said some food establishments in Durban were meeting the standards, while others were falling short.