Expired Cakes Seized from Mitchells Plain Coffee Shop after Customer’s Health Scare

by Hope Ngobeni

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The City of Cape Town took swift action after a customer at Rockstar Coffee in Mitchells Plain discovered that cakes being sold at the café had expired. The incident, which unfolded at the Liberty Promenade shopping centre on Tuesday morning, was sparked when Thembile Nikiwe, a concerned customer, noticed the expiry date on a cake he purchased had already passed—on January 1st. Upon discovering the expired product, Nikiwe immediately alerted the City’s inspectors, who visited the coffee shop, removed the expired goods, and emptied the display shelves.

Nikiwe, deeply troubled by the potential health risks posed by expired food, particularly to children, expressed his concern over the practice of hiding the expiry date behind a price sticker. His quick actions were driven by a desire to prevent incidents like the tragic deaths of children in the past who had consumed expired food. In response to the incident, the City’s Environmental Health Practitioners (EHPs) conducted an investigation and educated the shop owner about the potential dangers of selling expired food and the legal implications under national food safety regulations.

Rockstar Coffee, for its part, admitted that it had 20 cakes past their expiration date on the premises. The café explained that due to the timing of public holidays, their supplier was closed, and their staff had marked down the expired items, placing them on sale in a designated section. The shop’s management assured that all expired cakes were promptly removed after the incident and promised to implement stricter measures to prevent a similar occurrence in the future.

The City’s Environmental Health office had been alerted to the complaint on Tuesday, and the EHPs responded without delay. Their findings confirmed the customer’s complaint, noting that the manner in which some products had been labelled contravened national labelling regulations. As a result, all items with tampered or misleading expiry dates were confiscated, and the shop owner was further educated on the requirements of food labelling laws. Additionally, the City announced that further action, including a potential fine, was under consideration, with follow-up visits planned to ensure compliance moving forward.

Councillor Patricia van der Ross, who oversees the City’s Community Services and Health portfolio, emphasized the importance of food safety, which has recently been a significant focus for the City. She stated that this particular complaint was the only one of its kind reported to the Environmental Health office in recent months. Van der Ross urged both consumers and retailers to remain vigilant about food safety standards, underscoring the need for businesses to adhere strictly to labelling regulations and for the public to report any concerns they may have about food health and safety.

The City continues to encourage residents to report any food-related health issues or concerns directly to their local Environmental Health Office, which can be contacted through local clinics or the Technical Operations Centre at 0860 103 089. With food safety under increasing scrutiny, these actions are part of a broader effort to protect the public and ensure that businesses uphold their responsibilities when it comes to consumer health.

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