Food Safety Requirements on Farm and in Processing Facilities

SAPPA was approached by PPECB at end October 2024 regarding food safety on farm and in processing facilities. According to the letter received we needed to adhere to regulation R707 of 13 May 2005 (Standards Regarding Food Hygiene and Food Safety of Regulated Agricultural Food Products of Plant Origin intended for Export).  SAPPA appointed Anelich Consulting (a food-safety consulting business) during December 2024, to assist the industry with understanding the requirements as the regulation didn’t make any reference to pecans or tree nuts.

Meetings were held with PPECB and thereafter with DALRRD to understand their requirements of the letter received by PPECB. During our meeting with DALRRD they made it clear that there is no reference to Pecan nuts and there is no current standard to which an audit can be conducted. The notice issued by PPECB in this respect and that of a HACCP-based system requirement for processors is therefore at present not justified and will only be applicable once DALRRD has facilitated inclusion in the regulations. For the current season export of Pecan nuts may continue without formal on-farm or HACCP-based audits by PPECB.

However following current trends of export commodities to comply with GAP audits, DALRRD recommended that SAPPA develops and implements such a process voluntarily, driven by the industry. This will ensure compliant access to future opportunities in the export market.

SAPPA is now actively addressing the issue and accordingly Anelich Consulting has been contracted to develop GAP and HACCP-based Audit Guidelines for Pecan Nuts through which food safety risks can be minimised. The advantage of an industry developed standard ensures that we can address different aspects e.g. In-shell vs Kernel, Size of the property, Interval of audits as well as learn and use other countries’ standards as guidance. This approach will help tailor make the standards to our unique circumstances in South Africa and protect the interests of the industry as far as possible.

On-farm GAP audits require prior vetting by DALRRD and inclusion in current regulations before being enforceable.

Once approved these guides will serve as a point of reference for pecan nut growers and processors to maintain farm and food safety system records as well as associated evidence supportive of GAP and HACCP-based requirements.  Associated checklists will be developed that will facilitate assessment of compliance prior to official audits when they will become a requirement in accordance with appropriate regulations.

We aim to provide a draft GAP document as a first step to DALRRD by early April 2025, considering time needed for amendments and reviews.

News regarding progress will be shared with you as soon as possible.