A Complete Guide to Pest Control for Spaza Shops
The ultimate guite to pest control for Spaza shops! Learn effective prevention strategies, best practices, and tips to keep your store pest-free.
FOOD SAFETY AND QUALITY PRACTICES
Helpful informtion dedicated to Food Safety and Food Quality Practices for the food industry.
South African Legislation and the Food Industry Part II
There are many food industry laws and regulations in South Africa and many business owners struggle to keep up. The trick is to know the main ones and thereafter choose the ones that are relevant to your product and operations. The fact that the industry is highly regulated and that …
South African Food Industry Legislation Part I
If you’re thinking of starting and managing a food handling business, there’s a couple of things you need to know. Having to know so many legal standards might seem scary, but don’t worry, only certain regulations will apply to your business depending on what product you’re trying to sell. You …
10 Tips To Prevent Food Poisoning
Food poisoning occurs when food is contaminated with microorganisms that produce toxins leading to illnesses. To ensure the food is safe, the consumer has a responsibility to take necessary precautions to prevent food poisoning. Below are the 10 tips to prevent food poisoning: 1. Separate food The first thing one …
What is Food Poisoning?
It is the festive season and almost everyone is in a jolly mood! During this time, most of us feast like there is no tomorrow. There is an abundance of delicious meals everywhere. It is, after all, a season to be merry! It’s also the perfect storm for food poisoning …
What is a HACCP Plan?
There are no consumers who wittingly buy food that will either injure or cause a foodborne illness. Consumers trust food manufacturers that they have taken all necessary steps to ensure that the food sold to them is safe and meets their expectations. In this article, HACCP will be briefly discussed, …
What is Food Defence and TACCP?
What is Food Defence and TACCP? Food defence and TACCP consider measures implemented by food companies to protect the food against intentional contamination by individuals normally motivated by hatred, an ideology, disagreement, or any other malicious intent. Organisations, therefore, implement a Threat Assessment Critical Control Point (TACCP), which is …
How To Implement A Strong Food Safety Culture ?
The Food Safety System Certification 22000 (FSSC 22000) requires organizations to ensure implementation and continual review of Food Safety Culture. The requirement is that the organisation needs to show evidence that the senior management is committed to ensuring implementation, maintenance, and continual improvement of the food safety management system, and …
What is Food Safety Culture?
Food safety culture goes beyond the need to comply with standard requirements; it is more about the behavioural attitude towards daily activities in an organisation that is committed to ensuring food safety. An organisation that has strong food safety culture puts consumer safety at the core of its business. What …
The Difference Between Quality Assurance and Quality Control
Quality is providing services or products that are not inferior, meets and exceeds the required standards, and fits the purpose. Quality has two terms; Quality Control and Quality Assurance. Although the two terms seem similar, they mean different things that we shall explain below. What is Quality Assurance? Quality Assurance …
Sanitising, Disinfection and Sterilisation – What’s the Difference?
COVID-19 has introduced a new style of living where each person must take responsibility for their own health and hygiene. These days you hardly find someone who has not heard of the word “sanitising”, “disinfection” or “sterilisation”. Hand sanitisers are flying off the shelves and at some point, some retailers …
The Top 10 Benefits of Food Safety Regulations
Our family loves traditional gatherings celebrated around overloaded lunch tables with every imaginable dish prepared and shared to suit our individual tastes, including my niece’s latest vegan obsession running in tandem to her allergy to peanuts. A recent food poisoning catastrophe which nearly ended in a family fatality brought my …
10 Ways Professional Food Handler Training Protects Your South African Food Brand
By Mthokozisi Nkosi, Food Safety Specialist & Lead Auditor Last Updated: 14 April 2026 In the 2026 South African food landscape, “Food Safety” is no longer a buzzword, it is a legal mandate. With the rigorous enforcement of Regulation R638 (Regulations Governing General Hygiene Requirements for Food Premises), the “Person in Charge” and every …
What is a Food Allergen? – The 8 Most Common Food Allergens
What is a food allergen and why is it important to take note of it? A food allergen can sometimes cause an allergic reaction in people. Allergic reactions can range from mild to fatal. There are 8 common food allergens (worldwide, including South Africa) which cause allergic reactions in some …
When Bad Food Happens to Good People
Food is a source of life, but it can also cause death due to foodborne diseases. In 2017-18 in South Africa, the listeriosis outbreak opened our eyes to the devastating effects of contaminated food when more than 200 people died from enjoying a presumably good slice of their favourite polony. …
Food Safety Incidents – The Ugly Truth
Food Safety incidents can sometimes have a devastating impact on all stakeholders involved. The world’s population grows daily and the increasing demand for food creates both new opportunities and challenges to Food Safety. Consumers buy food products and assume they are of high quality and safe to eat. They have …
The Difference between Food Safety and Food Quality Explained
Food Safety Education Updated: May 2026 16 min read Mthokozisi Nkosi · Lead Auditor · SAATCA R638 Lead Implementer Complete South African Guide, 2026 Many South African food business owners use the terms “food safety” and “food quality” interchangeably. They are not the same thing. One determines whether your food …
20 Tips to Avoid and Prevent Food Poisoning
Nearly everyone gets food poisoning at least once in their lifetime. Here are 20 handy tips to avoid and prevent food poisoning. These tips refer to households, but can also be used in any food-handling, processing and packaging enterprise. You can find the germs that cause food poisoning all around …
7 Pests to Ban From Your Food Premises to Improve Food Safety
Preventing pests in food facilities is critical to ensuring the safety and quality of food products. Pests can easily contaminate food with bacteria and other pathogens, leading to foodborne illnesses and other health hazards. In addition to posing a health risk, pests can also cause significant damage to food packaging, …