The Departments of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and of Trade and Industry
(the dti) have entered into agreements with other countries in order to facilitate
the flow of goods, especially food products, by ensuring that basic regulations
concerning food safety are implemented.


2.1 Registration as an FBO
All processors of fruit, vegetable and nuts destined for sale on export markets must
be registered with DAFF as a Food Business Operator (FBO). This basic registration
can be done with DAFF’s Directorate: Food Safety and Quality Assurance (FSQA)
by e-mail, fax or online registration. Registration forms and further details can
be found at www.daff.gov.za > Agricultural Production, Health and Food Safety
branch > Food Safety and Quality Assurance Food Business Operator Codes.


2.2 Regulation of specific processed fruits and vegetables for export
The following specific processed fruits and vegetables for export are subject to
DAFF regulation:
• Apricot and peach kernels
• Frozen fruit and vegetables
• Dried fruit
• Canned vegetables
• Canned fruit
• Canned mushrooms
• Rooibos and rooibos mixtures
• Jam, jelly and marmalade
• Canned pasta products
• Honeybush and green honeybush
The regulations are designed to ensure that these products going into foreign
markets meet basic food safety and quality standards; they cover aspects such
as:
• Quality and food safety standards, including grading
• Requirements for containers
• Packing requirements
• Marking requirements
• Sampling procedures
• Methods of inspection

The overall approach of these regulations is similar for each group of products,
although there are specific details for individual items. For example, the standards
and requirements for the export of dried fruit give specific standards for dried
deciduous fruit, dried subtropical fruit, raisins and currants, and other dried fruit.
These standards can be downloaded from www.daff.gov.za > Agricultural
Production, Health and Food Safety branch > Food Safety and Quality Assurance >
Export Standards > Processed Products.


2.3 Regulation of processed nuts for export
Nuts are divided into two types: groundnuts (peanuts) and tree nuts. The standards
for groundnuts can be downloaded from www.daff.gov.za > Agricultural Production,
Health and Food Safety branch > Food Safety and Quality Assurance > Export
Standards > Agronomy.
Currently tree nuts are not subject to the South African Agricultural Standards
Act. Exporters of tree nuts should ensure that they comply with the international
standards laid down by the International Nut and Dried Fruit Council Foundation
(information is available at www.nutfruit.org) and should also check if their target
market countries impose any additional standards.

2.4 Compliance with food safety standards
In addition to the above specific standards, exporters of these regulated processed
fruits, vegetables and nuts must adhere to the Agricultural Product Standards Act
of 1990 (Act No. 119 of 1990) regarding food safety and food suitability, available at
www.daff.gov.za > Agricultural Production, Health and Food Safety branch > Food
Safety and Quality Assurance > Food Safety and see items under heading “1. Food
Safety”.

They must also comply with Department of Health (DoH) standards as set out in
Notice R.908 of 27 June 2003, available at www.DoH.gov.za > Health Topics >
Food Control > Legislation and click on “ACT”.

Both of these standards regulations (DAFF and DoH) relate specifically to compliance
with a Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) system, which is covered
under Chapter 5. Compliance with the regulations is checked through inspections and
certification carried out by authorised bodies.


2.5 Registrations/regulations not applicable
Note that, unlike the export of fresh fruit, vegetables and nuts, processed plant products
are not required to undergo phytosanitary inspection unless specified by the importing
country. Furthermore, other members of the distribution chain such as transport
operators, pack houses, wholesale warehouses and the like are not bound by the food
safety standards referred to under 2.4 above and in Chapter 5. They are, however,
bound by traceability issues, covered in Chapter 3.