Food Business Operator Registration Overview

Registering as a Food Business Operator (FBO)

• All fruit, vegetable, and nut processors who export must register with the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) as an FBO.
• Registration can be done through DAFF's Directorate: Food Safety and Quality Assurance (FSQA) via email, fax, or online.
• Registration forms and further details can be found on the DAFF website: www.daff.gov.za > Agricultural Production, Health and Food Safety branch > Food Safety and Quality Assurance Food Business Operator Codes.

Specific Processed Fruits and Vegetables for Export

• DAFF regulates specific processed fruits and vegetables for export, including: apricots and peach kernels, frozen fruit and vegetables, dried fruit, canned vegetables, canned fruit, canned mushrooms, rooibos and rooibos mixtures, jam, jelly, and marmalade, canned pasta products, honeybush and green honeybush.
• Regulations aim to ensure these products meet basic food safety and quality standards for foreign markets.
• Regulations cover aspects such as quality and food safety standards (including grading), container requirements, packing requirements, marking requirements, sampling procedures, and methods of inspection.
• Specific details and standards for individual items are available on the DAFF website: www.daff.gov.za > Agricultural Production, Health and Food Safety branch > Food Safety and Quality Assurance > Export Standards > Processed Products.

Processed Nuts for Export

• Nuts are divided into groundnuts (peanuts) and tree nuts.
• Standards for groundnuts can be downloaded from the DAFF website: www.daff.gov.za > Agricultural Production, Health and Food Safety branch > Food Safety and Quality Assurance > Export Standards > Agronomy.
• Tree nuts are not currently subject to the South African Agricultural Standards Act.
• Exporters of tree nuts must comply with international standards set by the International Nut and Dried Fruit Council Foundation (www.nutfruit.org) and check for additional standards imposed by target markets.

General Compliance with Food Safety Standards

• Exporters of regulated processed fruits, vegetables, and nuts must adhere to the Agricultural Product Standards Act of 1990 (Act No. 119 of 1990) regarding food safety and suitability.
• The act is available on the DAFF website: www.daff.gov.za > Agricultural Production, Health and Food Safety branch > Food Safety and Quality Assurance > Food Safety.
• Exporters must also comply with Department of Health (DoH) standards, available on the DoH website: www.DoH.gov.za > Health Topics > Food Control > Legislation.
• Compliance with both regulations (DAFF and DoH) requires adherence to a Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) system.
• Compliance is checked through inspections and certification carried out by authorized bodies.

Registrations/Regulations Not Applicable

• Unlike fresh fruit, vegetables, and nuts, processed plant products do not need phytosanitary inspection unless specified by the importing country.
• Other members of the distribution chain (such as transport operators, pack houses, wholesale warehouses) are not bound by the food safety standards mentioned above, but are bound by traceability issues covered subsequently.

This quiz provides an overview of the registration process for Food Business Operators (FBO) with the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. It covers who needs to register and details about specific processed fruits and vegetables permitted for export. Assess your knowledge of these essential food safety and regulatory requirements.