It’s bananas: Don’t fall for scaremongering

Consumers are assured that bananas on sale in SA are safe to eat, with claims of the yellow superfood “containing helicobacter imported from Somalia” denounced as fake news.

The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development said it “condemns, with the strongest possible terms, the fake news about imported bananas from Somalia”.

“There is no banana importation that recently took place through any of our ports of entry from Somalia,” it said categorically.

Food imported into the country is carefully vetted, department spokesperson Reggie Ngcobo assured consumers.

“The department continues to be vigilant in monitoring the food products that come into the country and, 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.”

TimesLIVE