The Consumer Goods Council of South Africa (CGCSA) on Friday obtained an interdict against the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development and the Food Safety Agency, which prevents them from seizing fake meat products from retail outlets around the country.

The CGCSA says it was forced to apply to the High Court of South Africa on an urgent basis for the interdict as the FSA published a notice on Tuesday 16 August 2022, notifying all interested and affected parties that they would be implementing the seizures from Monday 22 August 2022.

The CGCSA will be seeking to overturn the decision of the FSA to arbitrarily seize ”meat analogue” products by way of an appeal.

Welcoming the interdict, the CGCSA says all stakeholders must work together to formulate regulations applicable to meat analogue products to ensure that no unauthorised action is taken against any of its members in the plant-based sector.

Last month, the department of agriculture, land reform and rural development ordered plant-based food producers to rename products that refer to meat in their names, which it says confuses customers.

Failing to do so would result in any meatless items with names like nugget, mince or sausage being seized and destroyed.

The vegan meat industry hit back against the government clampdown with the urgent court application via the CGCSA.

Meanwhile, Spur Corporation has had to quickly find a replacement for the US Giant Beyond Burger, which has cancelled shipments to South Africa, out of fear that its products may be seized.