New Rules for Boerewors in South Africa

 

 

Govt has just defined what boerewors is – and is not – in South Africa

 

Boerewors now needs to meet a very specific set of standards to be sold in South Africa.

 

That’s according to the latest regulations regarding the classification, packing, and marking of certain raw processed meat products.

Boerewors must have a minimum total meat content of 90% and a fat content of no more than 30%.

Cereal or starch, vinegar, spices, herbs or salt, food additives, and water are the only other ingredients allowed.

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Boerewors in South Africa has now been clearly defined by a set of regulations relating to raw processed meat products.

Raw boerewors refers to a sausage sold under a name in which the word “boerewors” appears, “either by itself or in combination with any other word or expression.” That’s the newest definition given to a firm favourite at South African braais by the Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development.

Minister Thoko Didiza, in a government gazette published Friday, introduced a host of new regulations to the Agricultural Product Standards (APS) Act. These include various classes of raw processed meat products, specific compositional standards for respective meats, requirements for containers, and appropriate product names.

The latest regulations distinguish between raw minced meat, burgers, bangers, grillers, and sizzlers among others. Compositional standards relate to the fat content, additives, species, and ingredients permitted for use in specific raw processed meat products.

Regulations in the APS Act now also deal with boerewors, defining what the South African staple is and what it isn’t.

Raw boerewors must be “manufactured from the meat of a domesticated animal of the bovine, ovine, porcine, or caprine species, or from a mixture of two or more thereof” and be ” contained in an edible casing.” Additionally, the boerewors must “contain no edible or inedible offal, except where such offal is to be used solely as the casing of the raw boerewors.”

Boerewors sold in South Africa will also now need to have a minimum total meat content of 90% and a fat content of no more than 30%.

 

Boerewors isn’t allowed to contain mechanically recovered meat, defined as pulped material recovered by a process whereby bone and meat are mechanically separated, or any colourants.

 

The only ingredients allowed to form part of the boerewors, in addition to the meat itself, are cereal or starch, vinegar, spices, herbs or salt, food additives, and water.

The difference between boerewors, braaiwors, species and mixed-species wors is also clearly defined within latest regulations regarding the classification, packing and marking of certain raw processed meat products in South Africa.

Raw species sausage or raw species wors is defined as “any sausage manufactured predominantly from the meat of a specific species of domesticated animals, birds, or wild game”, while mixed-species wors refers to the mixture of the meat of two or more species.

Braaiwors or sizzlers must “be manufactured either from the meat of a single domesticated animal, bird or wild game species, or from a mixture of two or more of such species.” It differs from boerewors in several ways, namely that braaiwors is allowed to contain edible offal, mechanically recovered meat, colourants, vegetable protein, and “other foodstuffs”.

Braaiwors is also allowed to have a minimum total meat equivalent of 60% and a minimum total meat content of 40%, with a fat content of no more than 30%.

Source – Business Insider SA