CAPE TOWN - The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) says reports of South Africa importing bananas from Somalia which can cause death due to the presence of worms, is fake news.
In a statement the department condemned the social media post "with the strongest possible terms" as it was causing unnecessary panic among consumers.
"There is no banana importation that recently took place through any of our ports of entry from Somalia. South Africa regulates the importation of plants and plant products, in terms of the Agricultural Pests Act and its associated regulations, in a manner that such imports are subjected to inspection at the ports of entry or, depending on the protocol, the consignment can be subjected to extended detention for further inspection, before its release into the retail space.
"If the consignment does not comply with South African import requirements, entry into the Republic is not granted. Imported bananas are carefully examined by the DALRRD inspectors at the ports of entry, to ensure that there are no quarantine pests, food borne diseases or any other harmful foreign material that can negatively affect the agricultural environment/ industry and, in particular, consumers," the statement read.
The DALRRD said it continued to be vigilant in monitoring the food products that come into the country.
"Any product that is suspected to be risky or harmful to the consumers or our territory cannot be permitted to enter the Republic or would be subjected to withdrawal from the shelves, if such a risk is identified post border or at retail level.
"We urge all the citizens to refrain from sharing such false and malicious information that can create panic to consumers," DALRRD said.
Cape Times