Govt suspends seizure of plant-based ‘meats’ until November
The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development has accepted the interim court order preventing the government from removing plant-based meat alternatives from retailers across the country.
This comes after the country's plant-based food sector turned to the Johannesburg High Court for an urgent interdict preventing the Food Safety Agency (FSA) from actioning the seizure of plant-based meat alternatives from retailers.
Earlier this year, the department 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.
Spokesperson Reggie Ngcobo says the department will comply with the court order until all parties return to court on the 17 November.
"The Assignee, Food Safety Agency (Pty) Ltd, will hold off any seizure of meat analogue products that still uses prescribed product names of processed meat products until 17 November 2022.The said Assignee will carry out inspections as mandated by the provisions of the Act.
Accordingly, directions in terms of section 3A of the Act shall be issued against sellers of meat analogue products that still use prescribed product names of Processed Meat Products, either by itself or in conjunction with any other written, printed, illustrated or visual material," says Ngcobo.
Ngcobo says the department still believes that prescribed product names reserved for processed meat products must only be used in connection with the sale of such products.
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