Department of Health – Food Control
The food control section within the department is responsible for ensuring the safety of food in South Africa. This service is based on the basic needs of communities and the right of South Africans to make informed food choices without being misled...
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The Role & Responsibility of Public Food Safety Control in South Africa
Contaminated food and water have been known to be sources of illness in human societies since ancient times. Food borne diseases
are still among the most widespread health problems in the modern world. In rich and poor countries alike, they inflict large health burdens,
ranging in severity from mild sickness to fatal illnesses.
The services rendered by health authorities in South Africa aimed at ensuring that the food consumers are exposed to do not cause them
any harm, are generally referred to as “food safety control”. This can be defined as a mandatory regulatory activity of enforcement by the
relevant health authority to provide consumer protection and to ensure that all foods during production, handling, storage, processing, and
distribution are safe and fit for human consumption and conform to safety requirements as prescribed by law.
The Directorate of Food Control
Food Control ensures an optimal non-personal preventative primary health care service in respect of the safety of food for the
South African community based on basic needs and the right to make informed choices without being misled by means of scientifically
founded legislation, auditing and information actions.
Provincial Health Department components responsible for food safety control.
The contact details of the Environmental Health Components
are as follows:
| Northern Province Tel: +27 15 2952851 (X2291) Fax: +27 15 2915146 |
North West Province Tel: +27 18 3875096 Fax: +27 18 3875332 |
| Gauteng Province Tel: +27 11 3553885 Fax: +27 11 3553381 |
Mpumalanga Tel: +27 13 7528085 (x2043) Fax: +27 13 7553549 |
| Kwazulu-Natal Tel: +27 331 952772 Fax: +27 331 421405 |
Western Cape Tel: +27 21 4834652 Fax: +27 21 4834345 |
| Northern Cape Tel: +27 53 8300654 Fax: +27 53 8300655 |
Eastern Cape Tel: +27 40 6364543 Fax: +27 40 6350072 |
| Free State Tel: +27 51 4301933 Fax: +27 51 4483077 |
Port Health Services
Food import control is conducted by the Port Health Services of the
provincial health departments on behalf of the national Department of Health.
The contact details for the Port Health Services are as follows:
| Johannesurg (Airport) Tel: +27 11 970 1372 Fax: +27 11 394 3605 |
Johannesburg (City Deep Container Depot) Tel: +27 11 613 5522 Fax: +27 11 6153013 |
| Durban Tel: +27 31 337 72737 Fax: +27 31 332 0934 |
Port Elizabeth Tel: +27 41 314 4100 Fax: +27 41 644 863 |
| Cape Town Tel: +27 21 421 1124 Fax: +27 21 418 5685 |
