In November 2018 I was invited to a number of events in South Africa. One was the 21st National Environmental Health Conference in Cape Town, with the South African Institute for Environmental Health (SAIEH). I decided to give a talk on soot and air pollution and its toxicological impact on health.

Across the many various contributions by speakers, one caught my particular attention, by Dr. Leon Bekker. The title was “Food control in a fast changing Africa – a perspective on the future“.

He said like South-Africa should be prepared that in future, also meat from rodents would be imported to the courtly, from Southern Asia for example. And he showed photos how pink color meat from rats or other rodents was nicely packed in plastic ready for sale in the store.

The people sitting around and behind me in the conference hall, mostly local and black South African doctors and professionals, most of them women, responded with a murmur in disgust – when they saw the photos of freshly packed rodent pink meat.

I must admit me too found it not very encouraging, this kind of future dietary in South Africa, imported from South Asia. The Doctor said this would put in future the requirement of food control measures in the country. Still, I had on my mind the question “Why is the government going to let this imports happen?”

Unfortunately, I did not et the opportunity to ask my question, and I had to rush later to the other conference room to get ready for my own presentation. Later I sent emails to the Doctor where I asked my question, but there was no response from him. Also not upon my repeated request.

The Doctor also said in his presentation that there would be in the future more street food in the country, and also the standards of housing would have to be reconsidered since more and more people would be migrating to the major cities in South Africa, and the housing market could not offer to everybody what would be reasonably needed by current standards.

So, all overall there would be more reason and need for food control in South Africa in future. Still, I am interested who is making the decisions about a fast changing Africa, where people in the future will have to deal with food they are not used to, food they will not like. Shouldn’t the government be there for the people?