Hard, dedicated work, quality consciousness and the employment of well-trained and qualified food scientists and technologists are the ingredients needed to ensure that the South African food industry can withstand fierce competition from other countries.

A dedicated, disciplined attitude and producing consistent quality at a reason-able price lead to long-term success, says food safety and standards organisation South African Association of Food Science and Technology former president and food scientist Aubrey Parsons.

Food safety is the most important issue for the local food industry. Reputable, responsible and reliable companies that provide good service and high quality assurance ensure their success and growth into the future. Prices fluctuate, but quality is the keystone that keeps a product in demand, he emphasises.

“You must be proud of the quality produced by your company and proud of yourself, because you are responsible for the food that people eat to live,” Parsons says.

He believes that, when batches fail in manufacturing departments, it is because of ill-equipped and unsupervised staff. The production sheet, which has one column for the employee to sign when checking measurements and a column for the supervisor to sign when he or she has checked the measurements, is often only filled in by the employee, Parsons says. This lack of active oversight can lead to errors and deficiencies. There can be no replacement for control in the production department, he says.

Recalls of food products are expensive because the food has to be brought back from the distribution points and then destroyed, all at the expense of the manu-facturer. A company can do a million things right, but one substandard product can destroy its reputation. This is why food safety is such a critical aspect of the food industry, he explains.

“There is no alternative to [food safety]. There cannot be an attitude of ‘I can cut a few corners’, by using use cheaper raw materials or a specific ingredient that came on a special offer from another country. Use the right raw materials and produce the product according to the formulation.

“An example of where the use of proper raw materials was ignored is China, where the sale of milk powder contaminated by melamine led to the execution of two men, a manufacturer of protein powder and a manufacturer of food, after six babies died and 294 000 suffered kidney ailments and urinary problems after drinking infant formula deliberately tainted with melamine,” Parsons warns.

New Markets

Competition from imported food products is a serious challenge for the food industry. Confectionery arrives on South Africa’s shores from Latin America at prices that will only cover the raw material costs of similar sweets produced in South Africa. This means that local sweets are much more expensive to produce than those produced in countries such as Brazil.

“We have to change our ideas to compete with international competitors’ extremely low prices,” Parsons says.

An example of a success story is that of a sweet manufacturer’s employee who, during a holiday, explored the South-East Asian market potential for a few of the company’s sweets. This idle market exploration led to a successful and profitable export business in confectioneries to that part of the world, he claims.

“What about Africa? Let us look at what this food industry is all about? People have to be fed. But a population is not homogenous and can be arbitrarily split into the upper class, the middle class and the less fortunate. “Food products have to be created for each of the three categories. The African continent presents wonderful opportunities for the food industry,” Parsons enthuses.

South African food manufacturers should focus simultaneously on improving quality and accessing new markets, he says.

Consumers of Quality

In response to a query on what a consumer can do to improve and develop the food industry, Parsons says that the consumer must become more demanding. Quality, perfection and good service should be the norm in the industry. An example would be when food spoils the day after being bought although kept at the correct temperature. Many people would merely throw the food away rather than return it to the retailer. Returning the food allows the retailer to identify problems and leads to improved quality.

Food safety is important because of the health risks posed by spoilt or contaminated foods. Food safety should be taught at schools, Parsons says. Some schools offer a subject that teaches children about the microbiological activities present in food and their rate of growth and associated hazards.