Food Safety Matters

30/10/2025

Handy info for NMBM food businesses.

Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality’s Environmental Health team is raising awareness on food safety and the regulations every food handler should know and comply with. ✅

What is a Certificate of Acceptability (CoA)?

A CoA is a legal requirement for anyone handling food. Issued under Regulation 638:2018, it confirms that food premises—including stalls, vehicles, and even outsourced transport—have been inspected and meet hygiene standards set by law. Without a valid CoA, food may not be handled or transported. 🍽️✅

For more info, visit the Public Health Offices, 13 & 14th Floor, Lillian Diedricks Building. 🏢








South African Local Government Association (SALGA)
Departments: Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs GCIS - Eastern Cape

28/10/2025

🎉 Exciting news!

Our Food Safety Posters are now available in four South African languages — English, Afrikaans, isiXhosa, and isiZulu! 🇿🇦

At Food Safety Matters, we believe everyone who handles food deserves access to clear, understandable food safety guidance — in the language that speaks to their heart. ❤️

“If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head.
If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.”
— Nelson Mandela

🧼 Empower your team with training that truly connects.
👉 Learn more or order your posters here: www.foodsafetymatters.co.za

27/10/2025

🍽️ Safe Food, Happy Customers!

A big congratulations to the Elements_PE_ team on completing their Basic Food Safety for the Food Handler training! 👏

Using our Food Safety Matters eLearning materials, the team took the initiative to upskill their food handlers — ensuring that every meal served at their venue meets the highest hygiene and safety standards. 🌟

It’s always inspiring to see businesses like Elements_PE_ investing in food safety to protect their customers’ health and confidence. 💙

27/10/2025

🧠 Myth Buster Monday!

❌ MYTH: One cutting board is all you need.
✅ TRUTH: Always use separate boards for raw meat, veg, and ready-to-eat foods to prevent cross-contamination.

💬 Do you use different cutting boards?

20/10/2025

🧠 Myth Buster Monday!

❌ MYTH: Reheating makes all food safe.
✅ TRUTH: Some bacteria produce heat-resistant toxins. If food was stored poorly, reheating won’t make it safe.

💬 What’s your leftover routine?

15/10/2025

Coincidence? 🤔

You should always wash and dry your hands before:

• preparing and cooking food
• handling food, especially ready-to-eat foods
• serving food

and after:

• using the toilet or helping a child use the toilet
• handling raw meat, raw poultry or raw eggs
• sneezing, coughing, blowing your nose or wiping a child’s nose
• changing nappies
• cleaning up accidents in the kitchen
• handling rubbish and cleaning chemicals
• outside activities and touching animals
• touching a cut or changing a dressing.

If your handwashing skills are at risk of extinction, see our PDF factsheet:
www.foodauthority.nsw.gov.au/sites/default/files/_Documents/retailfactsheets/hand_washing.pdf

15/10/2025

Your hands hold a superpower! This Global Handwashing Day, join us in unleashing the superpower within all of us. Wash your hands! Protect your community! Save lives!

Be a ! Learn more: https://bit.ly/3Yb4R45

13/10/2025

🧠 Myth Buster Monday!

❌ MYTH: Gloves mean your hands are clean.
✅ TRUTH: Gloves can carry bacteria too. They must be changed often — and handwashing (of gloved and ungloved hands) is still essential.

💬 Are gloves used properly in your workplace?

13/10/2025

23/09/2025

Bacteria love your chaotic fridge 😅! Why do we feel triggered?🤣

Do you pack your fridge in a food safe manner?

Setting your fridge at the right temperature and stocking it correctly helps you keep your food safe to eat. ​

Keep everything sealed, safe and separate, with raw ingredients like meat, poultry and seafood at the bottom. ​

If your fridge is too warm, and food is stored in the wrong place, food could become unsafe to eat. ​

https://www.food.gov.uk/breakup-with-bacteria

22/09/2025

🧠 Myth Buster Monday!

❌ MYTH: Freezing kills all bacteria.
✅ TRUTH: Freezing only pauses bacteria — it doesn’t kill them. Handle thawed food with care.

💬 Did you think freezing was a kill switch?

15/09/2025

🧠 Myth Buster Monday!

❌ MYTH: Vinegar works just as well as sanitiser.
✅ TRUTH: Vinegar helps clean but doesn’t meet food safety standards. Use a SANS-approved disinfectant.

💬 Do you rely on vinegar in your kitchen?