The Food Industry is a complex network of diverse businesses that supply most of the food consumed by the world’s population. This section will help to keep you up to date with real-life events that could impact any part of the Food Industry.
The purpose of authenticity testing is to ensure the true state of food. However, the volatile and complex nature of food fraud, combined with testing limitations, emphasises the challenge of detecting and subsequently managing food fraud. To effectively employ authenticity testing, a variet...
In 2010 the Directorate of Food Control (which falls under the Department of Health) published Regulations Relating to the Labelling and Advertising of Foodstuffs (R.146/2010, as amended in 2010 and 2012), together with a set of guidelines (amended in 2012). The department recognised the need to pro...
With the mounting evidence to support the importance of gut function in overall human health, there is a large amount of importance being placed on probiotics. But what about prebiotics? These elements might be just as beneficial to human health, as well as having the potential to be promoted...
Arsenic has been shown to be a major contaminant of rice. Compared to other crops, rice has an unusual efficiency to absorb arsenic. Global regulatory authorities have been slow to regulate arsenic levels in rice and rice-based products. It is especially concerning that South African regulati...
If a foodstuff is gluten-free, is it also wheat-free? The Regulations Relating to the Labelling and Advertising of Foodstuffs (R.146/2010, as amended) define a list of common food allergens and give clear guidance regarding how to declare and control these foods. One of the common allergen...
After many years of uncertainty regarding the classification of beer, as well as other requirements such as labelling, the publication of the amendment to the Liquor Products Act (Act 60 of 1989) on 17 September 2021 might be a welcome relief to many producers. Although there are a number of amendme...
FOOD LABELS - SPREEKKAMER | 20 SEPTEMBER 2021 | kykNET Dietician Karen Horsburg and food scientist Ineke Stoffberg from FACTS SA help us inderstand what information on food packaging we should be paying attention to. What is important when we compare products, and which claims on labels should we...
The parents of 15-year-old Natasha Ednan-Laperouse believe that her death could have been prevented if the wrapped sandwich she consumed had been labelled clearly. What transpired was the establishment of Natasha’s Law – an amendment to the EU Food Information to Consumers (EU FIC) regulations. ...
In 2013, the Minister of Health signed legislation to make sodium reduction in the food industry mandatory, to help achieve the government’s target of reducing salt intake to less than 5g a day by 2020. This makes South Africa the first country in the world to legislate salt levels to help reduce ...