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Sifelani Tsiko
Innovations Editor
The Standards Association of Zimbabwe (SAZ) says there is only one certified ice producing company in Harare that meets the required quality standards.
Acting director-general of SAZ Mr Cosmus Mukoyi, told The Herald yesterday that his organisation has only certified one company despite the existence of many others that have not registered with SAZ for quality checks.
“The Herald article (published on June 1, 2023) correctly captured that SAZ has certified one company on the relevant standard. Certification by SAZ is important as it is a third-party attestation that the ice is not contaminated and is fit for purpose,” he said.
“Consumers must shun uncertified products as they expose consumers to life-threatening risks. Consumers should always look for the SAZ mark on the products they are buying as the mark gives assurance that the product conforms to the relevant standards.”
Studies made by the University of Zimbabwe Department of Nutrition Dietetics and Food Sciences showed that 99 percent of brands of packed ice being sold in various liquor stores and supermarkets in Harare posed a health risk to unsuspecting consumers.
The researchers said the packed ice showed high levels of potentially dangerous bacteria, including E. coli, Salmonella, Listeria, and coliform bacteria.
The report has led to public outcry with many consumers calling for the naming and shaming of the companies.
The research team led by Dr Batsirai Chipurura, a senior UZ lecturer and researcher and which included Herbert Mtopa, Susan Chimukoko and Leocardia Murimbika from the Department of Nutrition Dietetics and Food Sciences found that most of ice brands had not been registered and approved by either the Ministry of Health or certified by Standard Association of Zimbabwe.
This research team collected samples at retail outlets in the capital and found ice cubes or blocks with high levels of nitrites that are responsible for cancer in humans. To ensure food safety, the City of Harare Health Department (Food and Food Standard Act Inspectors), Government Analyst Laboratory (Registry and Certification) and the Standards Association of Zimbabwe must regularly monitor the ice producing companies.
City of Harare Health director Dr Prosper Chonzi told The Herald that his department was taking the matter seriously and investigations were in full swing.
“We are taking the UZ report seriously and we are also doing our own investigations to get a true picture of the situation on the ground. As a city we take public health issues seriously and our inspectors are on the ground to get more details about the operation of ice making companies,” he said.
“We are going to hold a meeting with the Ministry of Health to discuss this issue. It’s much more than a problem for Harare alone. A decision will be made, a national decision will be made by the Ministry of Health.
“The report is quite serious and we take it seriously. In the coming two weeks, we should be able to hammer out a national position on ice food safety standards that will be communicated by the Government.”
Dr Chonzi said the City Health Department was prepared to name and shame any ice companies that violated ice food safety standards.
Full story on www.herald.co.zw
“We would like to have more information about these companies. Some of the companies are registered and a number of others are not registered. We are carrying out an inventory of the ice making companies in Harare.
“Public health comes first for us and we will not hesitate to name and shame companies once we have the full information. Our job is to protect the public and once we find that there are companies which are violating the ice food standards, we will name and shame. We have to protect the public.”
Mukoyi urged companies that were selling uncertified ice to approach his organisation for assistance.
“There is no need to sell uncertified ice and expose consumers to health-related risks. The association is ready to work with ice producers to ensure conformity to standards that have been developed to assist in production of quality products that protect consumers,” he said.
“On what measures SAZ is able to take against them if certified by SAZ, as an organisation, SAZ can withdraw licences for products that will not be conforming to the requirements of the standards.”
Ice has been extensively employed as a general coolant or ingredient in the food industry and contamination sources are attributed to the use of unhygienic water, improper handling and poor hygiene conditions of ice-making machines.
Experts say contaminated ice might be a medium for the transmission of pathogens to food and humans, posing potential risks to public health.
Contaminants can be introduced by airborne particles, contaminated water supply, dirty utensils, and especially improper ice handling by many backyard ice makers.
“One brand which we investigated had high levels of faecal contaminants. This is very disturbing and it poses a huge public health risk,” said Dr Chipurura.
“Faecal contaminates can spread cholera. Such companies need to be stopped as they are violating the Food and Food Standards Act. It is the role of the respective councils to enforce the Food and Food Standard Act and the Public Health Act.”
A 2019 study also indicated that water being pumped to millions of residents in Harare came from reservoirs contaminated by dangerous toxins.
The study, though not made public, concluded that the health of 3 million Harare residents may be endangered by the provision of water containing toxins that can cause liver and central nervous system diseases.
Around 2014, more than 10 brands of bottled water being sold in various shops in Harare was found to pose health risks to unsuspecting consumers as they had not been approved by the Standards Association of Zimbabwe.
This came in the wake of a study by researchers from the University of Zimbabwe and Masvingo Polytechnic which showed that some companies were selling water with high levels of nitrites that are responsible for cancer in humans.
The experts concluded that the bottled water also contained viable bacteria and heavy metals at levels that exceed limits set by the World Health Organisation Guidelines for Drinking Water Quality.
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