REGULATIONS ON SUGAR CONTENT IN JUICES (SOUTH AFRICA)

REGULATIONS ON SUGAR CONTENT IN JUICES (SOUTH AFRICA)



IN SOUTH AFRICA, REGULATIONS REGARDING SUGAR CONTENT IN JUICES ARE GOVERNED BY THE 'FOODSTUFFS, COSMETICS AND DISINFECTANTS ACT', AS WELL AS STANDARDS ESTABLISHED BY THE 'SOUTH AFRICAN BUREAU OF STANDARDS'(SABS)' AND 'THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH'.

HERE ARE THE KEY POINTS REGARDING SUGAR CONTENT IN FRUIT JUICES.

LABELLING REQUIREMENTS
FRUIT JUICES MUST ACCURATELY DECLARE THE SUGAR CONTENT ON THEIR NUTRITIONAL LABELS. PRODUCTS MUST LIST THEIR TOTAL SUGARS, INCLUDING NATURALLHY OCCURING SUGARS FROM THE FRUIT.

STANDARDS FOR FRUIT JUICES
THE SABS HAS SPECIFIC STANDARDS FOR DIFFERENT TYPES  OF FRUIT JUICES, INCLUDING DEFINITIONS OF WHAT CONSTITUTES 'JUICES' VERSUS 'NECTAR' AND 'DRINK'. FOR INSTANCE, FRUIT JUICE SHOULD BE MADE FROM 100 % FRUIT WITH NO ADDED SUGARS, WHILE NECTARS MAY CONTAIN ADDED SUGAR AND WATER.

MAXIIMUM SUGAR CONTENT
THERE ARE GUIDELINES REGARDING THE MAXIMUM ALLOWABLE SUGAR CONTENT FOR FRUIT DRINKS THAT ARE MARKETED AS 'JUICE'. FOR INSTANCE, ANY PRODUCT LABELLED AS "100 % JUICE" SHOULD NOT HAVE ADDED SUGARS, WHILE OTHER FRUIT DRINKS MAY HAVE SPECIFIC LIMITS ON ADDED SUGARS.

HEALTH REGULATIONS
THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH HAS GUIDELINES IN PLACE TO MONITOR AND REGULATE THE SUGAR CONTENT IN BEVERAGES, ESPECIALLY CONCERNING HEALTH RISKS SUCH AS OBESITY AND DIABETES.

CONSUMER AWARENESS
THERE ARE ONGOING EFFORTS TO PROMOTE AWARENESS ABOUT HIGH SUGAR CONTENT IN BEVERAGES. MANUFACTURERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO PROVIDE TRANSPARENT INFORMATION TO CONSUMERS REGARDING THE SUGAR CONTENT OF THEIR PRODUTS.

IT'S ESSENTIAL FOR MANUFACTURERS TO KEEP ABREAST OF ANY UPDATES TO THESE REGULATIONS, AS HEALTH POLICIES AND GUIDELINES MAY EVOLVE TO ADDRESS PUBLIC HEALTH CONCERNS. FOR THE MOST ACCURATE AND UP-TO-DATE INFORMATION, IT IS ADVISABLE TO CONSULT THE LATEST PUBLICATIONS FROM THE DEPARMENT OF HEALTH OR THE SOUTH AFRICAN BUREAU OF STANDARDS.

ATTACHED: GOVERNMENT GAZETTE 21.04.2023 - FOODSTUFFS, COSMETICS AND DISINFECTANTSACT, 1972 

    • Related Articles

    • LEVY ON SUGARY BEVERAGES

      FROM APRIL 1st 2018, SARS HAS STARTED COLLECTING SUGARY BEVERAGES LEVY (SBL). THE LEVY IS FIXED AT 2.1 % PER GRAM OF SUGAR CONTENT THAT EXCEEDS 4 G PER 100 ML, WHICH MEANS THE FIRST 4 G PER 100 ML ARE LEVY FREE. THE LEVY IS PART OF THE GOVERNMENT'S ...

    • HOW DO PRODUCERS OF DAIRY-BASED PRODUCTS ENSURE THE TRACEABILITY OF THEIR PRODUCTS?

      PRODUCERS IN SOUTH AFRICA ENSURE THE TRACEABILITY OF DAIRY-BASED PRODUCTS THROUGH A COMBINATION OF REGULATORY COMPLIANCE, RECORD-KEEPING PRACTICES AND MODERN TECHNOLOGY. TRACEABILITY IS CRUCIAL TO ENSURE THE SAFETY, QUALITY AND AUTHENTICITY OF THE ...

    • CODE OF PRACTICE - MILK PRODUCERS

      "It is a well-known fact that compliance of dairy products with food safety standards is of crucial importance to the dairy industry and consumers, as substandard products can cause significant harm to these role-players. It is also very important ...