South Africa Publishes Draft Regulations on Meat Analogues, Including Standards for Labeling, Packaging, and Ingredients

"On December 27, 2024, the South African Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development published the draft ""Regulations on the Sale of Meat Analogues in South Africa"" through the official gazette. The submission period is 30 days from the date of publication of the gazette. Main content: The draft regulations include definitions and scope, general standards, packaging and labeling, sampling analysis and name appendix. (1) General standards: the raw material must be fit for human consumption; it must not contain any substance or foreign matter not normally found in meat analogues, subject to section 4(2); in the case of meat substitute products, it must contain at least 16% protein; it must not contain ingredients and additives of animal origin; and if a vegetarian claim is made under the Food, Diverted Articles and Disinfectants Act 1972, the addition of eggs, milk and honey is permitted; (2) Requirements for packaging and containers: The packaging container should be made of a single material, clean, sealed, strong and not easily deformed, and should not produce any unpleasant taste or flavor; (3) Labeling: Unless otherwise specified, all markings should be in letters of at least 1 mm in size; the outer packaging label of products with one or more small packages inside should indicate the name, address, country of origin (except for transparent packaging) and batch information; the product name should be preceded by a descriptive name, such as ""plant-based"" or ""vegan"", and the name of processed meat products or animal species should not be indicated in the name; (4) Appendix on penalty clauses and names of meat analogs; (5) This regulation shall come into effect 12 months from the date of its official publication."