The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) is facing backlash from some of South Africa’s manufacturers of plant-based foods after a crackdown on the labelling of meat substitutes.
In recent weeks, the DALRRD has warned producers and suppliers that product names for plant-based sausages, burgers, strips and similar products must either be relabelled or be destroyed, as reported by News24.
Regulations promulgated in 2019 banned the use of phrases linked to meat, such as products described as “meat substitute, mock meat, faux meat or imitation meat”. The department further adds that it will take a “no mercy” approach to this ban.
South Africans have been showing more and more interest in plant-based foods and this market is expected to keep growing. Cape Town, in particular, has a massive vegan community. In fact, the first cultivated meat patty was developed locally.
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Tiger Bands invested in Herbivore Earthfoods, a plant-based food company delivering nationwide, earlier this year since they claim the plant-based and vegan products market was expected to grow by over $162 billion by 2030.
“The African plant protein market, of which South Africa represents 57%, is estimated to grow at a compound annual growth rate [CAGR] of 6.5% to $560 million [roughly R8 billion] by 2030,” it said at the time.
Other plant-based companies are not impressed with the government’s crackdown. Fry’s Family Foods, a plant-based brand which has been operating for more than 30 years, believes that the regulations currently being enforced by the DALRRD are unreasonable. The company started its operations in Durban before expanding its business and its products include chicken-style burgers, wood-smoked breakfast bangers and no-meat balls.
“Fry’s, along with many of South Africa’s plant-based food stakeholders, believes that Regulation No.R.1283 does not apply to plant-based meat alternatives, and we therefore do not believe that it is reasonable,” it said in a statement.
In response to the government’s assertion that the regulations are enforced in order to protect consumers from being misled, they insist that their products and the labelling they use are clear and, in fact, informative.
“The company is the pioneer of the [plant-based protein product] category in South Africa. At no point have we felt that our naming conventions were confusing for consumers, and in fact, our product names play an important role in helping our consumers understand how to use our products,” said Fry’s.
They further add that relabelling their products at this time and not being able to use labels like ‘burger’, ‘sausage’, ‘nugget’ or ‘mince’ will cause confusion amongst their consumers, who “appreciate clear direct communication”. Furthermore, it will be costly and a massive operation to recall, relabel and repackage its products. They insist that the government should be supporting the growth of local businesses, not hindering it.
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