City health inspectors have launched an investigation into the supply of frozen pies to a spaza shop in Kensington following a suspected food poisoning incident involving a five-year-old child.
The case was reported to ward councillor Cheslyn Steenberg, who visited the shop last week.
During his visit, health inspectors issued a notice to the shop owner after discovering several mouldy pies in the fridges.
The child’s grandmother explained that her grandson had been suffering from diarrhoea after eating one of the pies.
She recalled that it began on Saturday when his mother bought the pie.
At first, they didn’t suspect the pie was the cause of his symptoms. However, days later, when they bought another pie and heated it, the grandmother noticed mould on it.
“At that point, we never suspected it was perhaps the pie he ate, only a few days later, when we bought another one and heated it for him. I checked it and that is when I found the mould. I was so angry to think we support these shops,” she said.
After being alerted by the concerned resident, Steenberg contacted the City’s health inspectors, who visited the shop with him on Thursday.
The inspectors found that the same brand of pies were mouldy while stored in the fridge.
The pies were removed from the shop and deemed inedible. City health officials are now disposing of them, and further inspections are underway to ensure compliance with food safety standards.
The contaminated pies were traced back to a supplier in Cape Town, and additional checks are being carried out to verify food safety practices.
Steenberg also reminded the public to carefully check food labels and ensure proper storage before purchasing items, highlighting that mould can grow on temperature-sensitive products if mishandled during storage or transport.
This investigation comes amid an ongoing probe by the National Health Department into the deaths of several children in Gauteng, reportedly caused by consuming snacks from a spaza shop.
In the most recent incident, 25 learners from Setsing Primary School in Thokoza, Ekurhuleni, were rushed to the hospital after eating food from a spaza shop, and three minors tragically passed away.
Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi has called for all spaza shops to be registered and for owners to provide documentation proving their legal status in the country.
He emphasised that once registered, shop owners must follow health guidelines to ensure food safety.
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