Imported meat could harbour listeria, warn poultry producers

The government is not adequately protecting South Africans from listeria and other dangers in imported meat, according to the South African Poultry Association (Sapa).

The association said the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) concluded a listeria testing protocol with meat importers only a few days ago.

"When it is implemented, it will be a step forward in protecting South African consumers, but it should have happened long ago," Sapa interim CEO Charlotte Nkuna said in a media release on Friday.

"It is a matter of concern for the industry that, while many countries are blocking our processed meat products, SA continues to accept untested imported mechanically deboned meat, and we now find that food safety measures in the exporting country may have been circumvented."

Nkuna referred to a corruption scandal in Brazil where one of the world’s largest meat exporters, BRF, had been caught bribing officials to circumvent safety checks.

"Sapa calls on the DAFF to determine whether BRF is a supplier of mechanically deboned meat to SA, and, if so, how many thousand tonnes are imported every month from this company," Friday’s media release said.

"The South African poultry industry has had a self-funded test protocol for listeria in place for years, and the department has unfettered 24-hour-a-day access to our abattoirs.

"It is time that imported meat and poultry products are held to the same standards as locally produced products. We have also been working with DAFF to put in place the most effective measures to ensure consumer safety, the most recent being the implementation of the Independent Meat Inspection Scheme as well as reviewing the testing protocols for meat."

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