Plant-based meat products could soon be removed from South African supermarkets.
As reported by Times Live, the state’s Food Safety Administration (FSA) will seize products with processed meat-related names such as meatballs, sausages and biltong starting next Monday (August 22). increase.
The FSA works on behalf of the Ministry of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development. The latter passed a ban on plant-based brands using meat-related terms earlier this year.
But Fry Family Food (popularly known as Fry’s) challenged the ban in July. This brand is the largest plant-based producer in the country.
It claims that the product cannot be confiscated due to objections.
Bland argued that the department should instead “convene a court to assess our objections.”
Formal objection to ban
The LIVEKINDLY Collective owns Fry’s. “In response to instructions issued to Fry’s in early July, LIVEKINDLY Collective Africa has filed a formal appeal (on behalf of Fry’s),” it issued a statement.
“We have followed the procedures set out in the Agricultural Standards Act which requires us to file an appeal within 10 days of receiving the instruction.”
According to the law, the department had to convene a court to assess the objections, he added. The Collective continued: “Until that process is completed, no legal action, including seizure of products, may be taken against Fries or LiveKindley Collective Africa regarding FSA directives.”
“Therefore, it is business as usual for all brands, products and customers until the dispute is finalized. We will send a formal reminder to the assignee that there is.”
However, other plant-based companies may have their products seized on Monday.
Under the Agricultural Standards Act, the agency will seize plant-based foods that use “designated” names for processed meat, according to an August 16 letter outlining the FSA’s plan to seize the product. .
The Consumer Goods Council of South Africa (CGCSA) has “aware of a directive issued by the Ministry of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development to seize meat-like products using the product names provided for processed meat products”. there is,” he said.
It added that meat analogues are not covered under current law.
South Africa-based Garth Tavares, known as Cape Town Vegan, told Plant Based News that the decision to seize vegan meat feels like a “witch hunt against the plant-based and vegan sector.” .
He added: It’s incredibly short-sighted to see how severely this will affect an already devastated economy. ”
Rise of plant-based meat
The popularity of vegan meat substitutes has grown tremendously in recent years.
Total global consumption increased from 133 million kilograms in 2013 to 470 million kilograms in 2020.
Many meat producers claim that displaying the term “meat” on these products confuses consumers.
Fry Marketing Director Tammy Fry said earlier this year:
Plant-based meats are widely accepted by experts to be more sustainable than animal-based meats. For example, a recent University of Oxford study of 57,000 foods suggested that veggie sausages and burgers are up to 10 times better for the planet than meat.
Animal husbandry causes deforestation. Moreover, according to the United Nations, he accounts for 14.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions.
Campaign against the labeling of plant-based meat
South Africa is not the first place to attempt a crackdown on plant-based meat.
In 2020, the EU decided to allow plant-based companies to label their products with terms such as ‘hamburger’ and ‘sausage’. This comes after some livestock and meat producers took steps aimed at banning such practices.
Last November, following a campaign by far-right groups, Spain rejected a proposal to ban such labels.
Like South Africa, France also voted earlier this year to ban plant-based brands from using the word “meat.” However, this ban was temporarily overturned by the country’s Supreme Court.
