Exporting any product is complex; exporting food products, such as processed fruits, vegetables and nuts, is especially complex because health and food safety
requirements must be considered in addition to the foreign marketing, distribution, logistics and, of course, payment issues. With regard to health and food safety
requirements, the exporter has first to ensure that the production facilities comply with South African legislation governing what may be marketed locally.
Next there are regulations governing exports from South Africa, which are usually the result of agreements between South Africa and other countries.
There are then regulations governing imports into foreign countries. In addition, buyers in foreign markets may have their own requirements.
As referred to above, linking threads running through these complexities are logistics requirements to move the goods to the destination market and banking
requirements to ensure that payment is received in South Africa.
The following is a short summary of the export process for canned fruit and vegetables, canned mushrooms, canned pastas, frozen fruit and vegetables, dried
fruit, jams, jellies and marmalades, Honeybush, Rooibos and apricot and peach kernels:

  1. 1. Register for the necessary Food Business Operator (FBO) codes with DAFF’s Directorate Food Safety and Quality Assurance.
  2. 2. Consult Department of Health food safety requirements.
  3. 3. Consult the Export Standards and Requirements for the product concerned
  • Minimum/Maximum quality requirements for the grades concerned
  • Prescribed packing and marking requirements
  1. 4. Consult the Export Regulations for the product concerned which will provide the
    following information:
  • Prohibition applicable
  • Application for approval of export
  • Presentation for inspection
  • Procedure at inspection
  • Approvals and rejections
  • Appeals
  • 5. Check the import requirements of the foreign market.
  • 6. Arrange for inspection of the consignment concerned with the appointed assignee, namely the Perishable Products Export Control Board (PPECB).
  • 7. For certain products, analysis of samples is required.
  • 8. If the consignment is approved for export, an export certificate is issued by the PPECB.