Giving Compass' Take:

• Expired, fake, and harmful foods are being sold in South Africa, threatening the health of vulnerable populations, according to Thato Mahlangu.

• How can funders help the South African people access healthy and nutritious food? How should governments prevent this type of abuse? 

• Learn how one organization is working to create broader access to healthy food. 

Food counterfeiting threatens the world’s most vulnerable people, and more and more people in South Africa are believed to be consuming food and drink that’s putting their health at risk.

Businesses in South Africa — especially in townships and rural areas — have been accused of selling fake food items, including meat, bread, and cool-drinks.

Often these products are cheap and are in high demand, and many poorer people are left with little choice but to buy and consume these products.

But most of these people are unaware of the health implications of consuming these food items.

The National Department of Health said this week it has seen with concern the food-related videos that are circulating on social media about the alleged “unsafe” manufacturing of certain fake foods.

The department added that it believes this “fake” and expired produce that’s allegedly being sold to unsuspecting customers is damaging their health.

Many businesses, both formal and informal, have come under the spotlight in recent months, according to the Department of Health, for selling potentially counterfeit food products that could be putting South Africans at risk.

Maja highlighted a number of foods and drinks that have been described as fake, harmful, or expired, after surfacing on social media, including beef, mutton, bread, margarine, syrup being sold as honey, baked beans in a fish tin, and coke with “things” moving inside.

Read the full article about fake food by Thato Mahlangu at Global Citizen.