Consumers are urged to be wary of purchasing fake goods this Black Friday.

People should not buy nor consume highly perishable products with damaged packaging or lapsed expiry dates, even if it smells and looks good.

Food consumers are reminded to be on the lookout and report any suspicious goods sold by the outlets and retailers to environmental health practitioners or food inspectors at their nearest municipal offices or Consumer Goods Council of South Africa.

In a statement issued by the Department of Health, buyers are warned to exercise extra caution, especially when buying food products.

“The Department of Health urges consumers to exercise extra caution when buying goods, especially food products during the Black Friday frenzy by prioritising quality and safety over quantity and savings to mitigate against buying counterfeit and expired food,” said department spokesperson, Foster Mohale.

He said while Black Friday deals provide consumers with discounts and savings on a variety of goods, it is important for consumers to guard against purchasing counterfeit and expired foodstuffs by thoroughly checking food labelling and expiry dates on food items to prevent ongoing sporadic cases of life-threatening food poisoning.

IOL has reported extensively on operations to eradicate the sale of expired goods in shops across the country.

Tips to identify possible illicit food products

– Colour would normally differ from the original because incorrect additives were used to manufacture the fake products.

– Inconsistency in the texture, smell and colour of the product.

– Check if manufacturing and expiry date are not adulterated with or damaged, or not clearly visible.

– Check the nutrition label on supplement and food items, because in most cases fake goods contain some discrepancy in listing the ingredients.

– Carefully look at the packaging if it is not suspicious because counterfeiters produce close replicas, but mostly cannot perfect it.

Consumption of expired and counterfeit foods can pose serious health risks, including food poisoning, allergic reactions and long-term health complications.

IOL