New regulations to protect South Africans against the health and safety risks associated with the production of processed meats come into effect tomorrow. They are a retroactive move by the government to prevent another tragedy such as the listeriosis outbreak of 2017-2018, which resulted in several deaths.
The new recommendations will be regulated by the National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications (NRCS), who will follow an agreement set out by the Department of Trade & Industry (the dti) and Department of Health (DoH) on the final publication of the Compulsory Specification for Processed Meat Products (VC 9100).
The purpose of the recommendation is to regulate those categories of processed meat products that are considered high risk, while the NRCS is setting up a comprehensive regulatory programme of inspections enabling government and industry to detect any food-borne bugs early.
This is crucial for not only ensuring food safety, but for job creation as well, according to the Minister of Trade & Industry, Ebrahim Patel.
“This is an important step in ensuring that consumers are protected against harmful food-borne bacteria. Our food industry is important to the country’s economic development and job creation,” said Patel.
“Jobs in the food industry must be secured through measures that provide consumers with appropriate protection.”
The Minister of Health, Dr Zweli Mkhize, believes the new regulations will accommodate all sectors associated with the bill.
“This denotes an era of governance where there is effective multi-sectoral collaboration to protect our people from environmental dangers whilst at the same time protecting food and job security. We are very pleased with the resolutions in the interests of preventative strategies for a healthier nation,” adds Mkhize.
