Share

Dairy law sets new fat levels for SA products

Harare - Low fat dairy products in South Africa - including yoghurt, milk and cheese - will now be classified as medium fat products, in line with new regulations set to take effect in the next few weeks.

Industry officials say South Africa's dairy products are to be reclassified in line with international standards. These have now been changed to effectively reclassify the fat content in these products.

The Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has announced a new regulation which aims to align local dairy products with international standards and codes of practice.

These are seen as contributing to the "safety, quality and fairness of the international food trade".

Local dairy companies such as Parmalat have confirmed that their former range of low fat yoghurts will, in line with the new legislation, in future be labelled as medium fat products.

Jompie Burger, managing director of the Dairy Standards Agency, said on Thursday that the new law is "aimed at ensuring fair competition" within the industry and helping it conform to international health guidelines.

Under the new regulations, dairy products in SA will now be categorised according to five different class designations: high fat, full fat, medium fat, low fat and fat free (skimmed).

“Parmalat has been working on introducing the yoghurt packaging changes for the past year to ensure we meet the DAFF’s (Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries') March 2016 deadline and that we are in compliance," said Parmalat.

The new legislative measures for the SA dairy industry will also comprise stricter labelling requirements for dairy and imitation dairy products.

This means that the inclusion of an ingredient list, best by/use by/sell by dates, and batch code indicators has now become compulsory information that must be displayed on containers of dairy or imitation dairy products.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Rand - Dollar
18.93
+0.0%
Rand - Pound
23.90
+0.0%
Rand - Euro
20.40
+0.1%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.33
+0.1%
Rand - Yen
0.13
-0.0%
Platinum
908.05
+1.2%
Palladium
1,014.94
+1.3%
Gold
2,232.75
-0.0%
Silver
24.95
-0.1%
Brent Crude
87.00
+1.8%
Top 40
68,346
0.0%
All Share
74,536
0.0%
Resource 10
57,251
0.0%
Industrial 25
103,936
0.0%
Financial 15
16,502
0.0%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Company Snapshot
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE
Government tenders

Find public sector tender opportunities in South Africa here.

Government tenders
This portal provides access to information on all tenders made by all public sector organisations in all spheres of government.
Browse tenders