Food compliance news and solutions for the South African food industry brought to you by Food Focus

By: Food Focus on 27 January 2021

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By now you should be into the swing of 2021 and so are we.
We have been busy planning a great year of content and we can’t wait to share this with you. You can get a sneak preview in our first Food Safety fundamentals webinar coming on 5 February.

We hope you are planning your training programmes for 2021. Why not check out our new training platform Foodemy.co.za which is doing so well. We are getting great feedback from those course providers who have registered.
We have had a number of enquiries on our forum and social media about legislation updates. Have a look at our latest articles on this and make sure to keep your eyes open for our upcoming webinars.

5 Things that happened this month
and why they should matter to you.

The start to 2021 has been a bit bumpy but we are out of the blocks and we have to maintain a positive outlook.

1
COVID
cases have increased alarmingly.

I know this is stating the obvious and the media are bombarding us from every side about this situation. Our heartfelt condolences to anyone who has lost family, friends,s or colleagues to this pandemic. If you are recovering from the illness, we wish you well. As the food industry, there is ongoing pressure to maintain the supply chains and prevent any food shortages. This means we have to do everything we can to ensure our employees’ health is protected while at work. We have to redouble our efforts.

2
New legal requirements for restaurants.

All restaurants and fast-food outlets in South Africa face a costly set of new rules for staff remuneration, which includes December bonuses and weekly payments to clean uniforms. While the sector is already suffering under the restrictions of the pandemic, these new requirements will obviously have a significant impact. Of course, the sector is fighting the requirements. What we want to know is who has been cleaning their uniforms up to know, especially chefs and food handlers considering the R 638 hygiene regulations?

3
More about the mask debate.

News 24 cited an article this month based on a paper that was printed last September. https://www.newswise.com/coronavirus/study-without-right-messaging-masks-could-lead-to-more-infections
While the USA is suggesting “double-masking” and we are being arrested for not wearing a mask, we MUST ensure we instruct our employees on all measures to curb the spread of the virus. Wearing a mask and not limiting contacts is risky behavior.

4
Home deliveries and food safety.

Having had to use a home delivery this month while being in isolation, I was reminded in a very real way of the food safety risks associated with this service that has boomed during the pandemic. It is time to extend our auditing to this part of retail.

5
What will our new words be for 2021?

On a humorous note, I really enjoyed reading about the Words of an Unprecedented Year report prepared by the Oxford dictionary team. Seems they could not choose ONE word for 2020 and so chose several that we can all relate to. Lockdown, superspreader, social-distancing in 2020.

We hope that 2021 will be full of positive words but we are really glad that handwashing got many votes in 2020.
Let’s keep that one going!

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Don't miss out!

View the latest SANS 10330 article in the most recent edition of the Food and Beverage Reporter magazine.

If you've missed out on our latest articles,
take a look here.

Cost of Quality

Ever had a conversation with your boss about how costly the food safety and quality management systems are?

View The Article Here

How do I go about getting GMO certified?

We recently had this inquiry on our website so we thought we would use the opportunity to share our findings. This is quite a process so good luck.

View The Article Here

COVID 19 Risk management measures in the food industry – We are in this for the long haul

I don’t need to tell you that although we had all hoped for 2021 without COVID 19, the is obviously not the case. With our numbers of positive cases still climbing alarmingly every day around the country, as the food industry, we need to settle into the trenches. It is going to be a while.

View The Article Here

Get informed with the latest Legislations

The regulations under the Agricultural Product Standards Act - UPDATED 20 Jan 2021

There are a LOT and to make it easier for you, the department has prepared a wonderful table to assist.

Get Legislation Here

Foodemy is a one-stop platform to access training and development from and for the food industry. Webinars, training providers, on-line training, self-help programs – we will bring it together in one place, just for you.