The Consumer Goods Council of South Africa has been granted an interdict barring the Department of Land Reform, Agriculture and Rural Development’s Food Safety Authority from seizing meat-free products from Monday.
The rule nisi, which becomes final unless cause is shown to the contrary, is returnable on 17 November 2022. ProVeg SA and other businesses had sought industry-wide discussions with the department and the FSA to halt seizures and develop new and appropriate legislation for plant-based meat alternatives. “Unfortunately, industry-wide discussions have not been possible and all diplomatic efforts by the plant-based food industry have not led to amenable results.”
ProVeg said in April 2022 that things seemed to be heading in the right direction when the department issued a directive indicating that the executive officer would commence with “the development of new regulation for meat analogue products”. The organisation called the department’s lack of engagement with stakeholders, who will be devastated by this decision, “increasingly concerning”.