Gweru Council Warns Residents Against Buying Meat From Vendors
The City of Gweru has warned residents against buying fish and chicken from street vendors saying they risked contracting diseases from the uninspected food items.
The Southern Eye reported that some vendors were selling fish caught from some sections of Gweru River that are contaminated with raw sewage.
In a recent statement, the local authority urged residents to buy white meat only from registered suppliers. It said:
We have noted with concern the selling of fish and chicken on the pavements within the central business district.
Please be advised that such meat is being sold from undesignated places in contravention of the public health legislation and the city health by-laws.
All white meat should be kept frozen and sold from approved and licensed premises.
Let us prevent the introduction and spread of food-borne illnesses by buying our food products from registered and reputable suppliers only.
Gweru Hawkers and Vendors Association chairperson Lovemore Tingaka told the Southern Eye that they do not encourage vendors to sell meat on the streets. Said Tingaka:
As a vendors association, we have always pushed for the cause of informal traders, but when it comes to food, we have always encouraged our vendors to have an understanding of the dangers of selling food, particularly meat from the streets.
Zimbabwe’s seemingly unending economic challenges and low disposable incomes have forced hundreds of thousands of people to make a living out of vending.
Vendors sell products at lower prices compared to formal shops and this attracts significant numbers of consumers to streets and pavements.
However, it is not possible for authorities to police food vendors thereby putting the health and lives of consumers at risk.
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