The resumption of operations at the Polokwane facility comes two months after parent company Tiger Brands reopened its Germiston factory in Gauteng, which began producing ready-to-cook products like bacon and pork sausages in October.
According to a statement released by Tiger Brands, on 6 December 2018, the Capricorn Municipality’s Environmental Health Department provided the company with an official Certificate of Acceptability for the Polokwane factory after "rigorous assessments" were completed, giving the company licence to resume production. The certificate endorses the factory’s standards and operating procedures for the safe production of food products.
Following the outbreak, Tiger Brands states firmer guidance is being provided to the industry on safety standards for the production of ready-to-eat chilled processed meats. “The Department of Health has referred the industry to the CODEX standard, which says that for finished ready-to-eat products which promote growth of the bacteria, there must be zero listeria detection in products, both as they leave the factories as well as to the point of sale,” says Lawrence Mac Dougall, Tiger Brands’ CEO.
The industry has also agreed to mandatory implementation of the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) protocol, which is a Food Safety Management program. “HACCP allows for the identification of hazards and the implementation of control measures to ensure that risks are managed.”
Enterprise Foods specifically has introduced a 7-Step Quality Check process to enable greater transparency to consumers across the entire farm-to-table value chain in the production of meat products. These details will appear on-pack, as well as on the Enterprise Foods website.
The company has also committed to playing "a leading role in driving a multisectoral approach", aimed at enhancing food safety in the country.
“We recognise the tremendous responsibility we have as a business to move beyond compliance and the standards we have in South Africa and to be at the forefront of solutions that give assurance to all South Africans - whether they eat our products or not - that the food safety system is robust,” Mac Dougall said. “The Centre for Food Safety, which we launched in collaboration with the Stellenbosch University on the 6th of November, is a critical milestone in this quest.”
The Centre is an applied food science research consortium and is being independently run by the Stellenbosch University. It will conduct food science and food safety research to provide expert opinion and academic support to the industry, and to help government ensure that food safety regulations are based on sound scientific evidence. It will also play a leading role in consumer education on food-related issues.
Tiger Brands is the founding member of the Centre for Food Safety and has dedicated R10million to the Centre’s operations.
“As a food manufacturing company that has a long, strong and proud heritage in South Africa, there is an enormous amount of trust that is placed in us and our products. I know that some of that trust has been lost as a result of the listeriosis crisis and that we need to earn back that trust over time through our actions and by keeping our word,” said Mac Dougall.
