It is arrogant of the Department of Agriculture to instruct farmers to welcome their outrageous regulations on the use of meat-related names for plant-based alternatives to animal products. The answer is no. Saai joins the international movement of agricultural organizations, scientists, and consumer associations who are challenging governments on deceptive labelling of farm-produced food.
In its statement, the department says: “The publication of the meat analogue regulations must be welcomed and appreciated by all relevant stakeholders.”
Livestock farmers have the right to protect and promote the integrity of their products. At a time when the livestock industry is under siege, mainly due to a collapsing state, farmers do not need additional competition from counterfeit laboratory- or factory-produced products.
According to the regulations, which were published on 23 July 2025, meat analogues may be sold as “hotdogs, chipolatas, bites, steaks, pops, meatballs, rounds, pieces, tenders, burgers, patties, sausages, bangers, griller loaves, polonies, mince or ground meat, braai meat, schnitzels, and products named according to shapes, e.g., meatball wheels, slices, nuggets, rolls, and sizzlers.” The use of these names is allowed alongside descriptors that explain the nature of the meat analogues and, if necessary, their use.
According to the department, the red meat industry was consulted on the regulations and if that is true, those industry leaders have a lot to explain to farmers.
However, the department has a recent dismal track record of deceit, including:
- the claim that these regulations were clarified with stakeholders in the industry, while farmers only learned of them through the media,
- similar claims that the Agriculture and Agro-processing Master Plan was developed through an inclusive process with stakeholder involvement, while key players outside the agribusiness community were deliberately excluded,
- doctored photos.
Imitation meat, milk, and eggs should not be marketed with meat-related names or placed near real animal proteins on store shelves, to prevent deception and confusion. They should be clearly labelled as beans, insects, or laboratory-induced fermentation products. Consumers must, under all circumstances, know what they are eating and how it was produced.
Healthy food comes from farms!
