Govt decision to seize plant-based meats ‘will have devastating effect’

The country's plant-based food sector obtained an urgent interdict at the Johannesburg High Court to prevent the Food Safety Agency (FSA) from actioning the seizure of plant-based meat alternatives from retailers.

Earlier this year, the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) issued a directive to processors, importers and retailers of plant-based meat alternatives giving them only 30 business days to remove their products from shelves for relabelling or face seizures.

According to the department, the meat analogue products which are using the product names prescribed for processed meat such as  “burger”, “nugget”, and “sausage” were in breach of Regulation 1283 of the Agricultural Product Standards Act.

ProVeg South Africa Director Donovan Will says the organisation call for further dialogue between the plant-based food industry, the department and the meat industry.

"The directive, if implemented, will have a devastating effect on industry and consumers. The impact will extend to economic - labels which are currently in the market and/or already paid for production processes, will have to change and the costs involved in that change will impact suppliers and ultimately consumers, who as you know are struggling under the weight of the impact of Covid-19, rising fuel costs, food price hikes, load shedding and unemployment.

“Job losses – various companies may have to reduce their workforce to cope with the abrupt and unforeseen costs of having to change labels.  Reputation – the decision to seize products using names such as “Plant Based Bratwurst”, “Mushroom Biltong” and “Vegan Nuggets” may result in consumers and the public losing trust in the quality of meat analogues due to unexplained label changes," says Will.

Will says the change of labels will also cause customer confusion.

"If manufacturers are prohibited from using food-related terms commonly used and understood by consumers to market their products, consumers will be left confused and frustrated. Many consumers are specifically looking for products that mimic animal products because they grew up eating them and still enjoy the taste. If a consumer is looking for a vegetarian burger that mimics a beef burger it will be very confusing if the product cannot indicate that it is beef-style and cannot use the word burger," he adds.

Meanwhile, South African Meat Processors Association (SAMPA) says it supports the government's efforts to remove plant-based products from store shelves.

The association's Peter Gordon says this does not include meat substitutes.

"There is no reason and rational legitimacy for a product to be called a chicken like strips when it's made using a vegetable ingredient because there is no chicken in it.  if it is made using a vegetable ingredient, it must be called a vegetable strip, It cannot be called a chicken like strip , that is misleading to the consumer ad that is all we have asked the regulators to enforce and to ensure that products are not misleading to the consumer," says Gordon.