South African producers and consumers of plant-based foods have been afforded a reprieve, with the Johannesburg High Court recently halting proposed seizures of products with "meaty" names. One popular local producer continues to poke fun at government's controversial bid.

Vegetarian burgers, nuggets, sausages, and biltong will remain on South African shelves, despite government's relentless attack on plant-based foods that use names associated with processed meat products.

The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) has said that meat analogues – foods designed to mimic the appearance, flavour, and texture of meat products – may "not use the product names prescribed and reserved for processed meat products."

The department has cited the Agricultural Product Standards Act, promulgated in 2019, which deals with the classification, packing, and marking of processed meat products, together with Regulation 1283 of the Agricultural Product Standards Act 199 of 1990, as the relevant legislation outlawing plant-based foods with meaty names.

The DALRRD, in late June, warned producers that that foods must be relabelled – to exclude any mention of meat products – or face seizure.

Acting on instruction from the department, South Africa's Food Safety Agency recently reaffirmed its commitment to seize non-conforming plant-based food products from shelves across South Africa. These seizures were due to start on Monday.

But on Friday, the Consumer Goods Council of SA (CGCSA) obtained a temporary interdict against seizures.

"Although we welcome the decision by the court, we would like to reiterate our call for further dialogue as we still believe that this matter should be settled through discussion between the plant-based food industry, DALLRD and the meat industry," said Donovan Will, ProVeg South Africa's country director, in a statement reacting to the interdict.

South Africa's leading plant-based food producer, Fry Family Food, better known simply as Fry's, launched an objection to the ban in July. Fry's has plant-based burgers, sausages, nuggets, and mince on the shelves of most major South African retailers, putting the Durban-based producer firmly in the crosshairs of the DALRRD's proposed ban.

Since launching its initial objecting, Fry's has continued a social media campaign, citing its products as "Unidentified Frying Objects" or UFOs, that's reassured consumers that its goods will remain on shelves, while, at the same time, poking fun at government's attempt to have their products seized.

The Facebook posts sarcastically call on "members of the public to report all UFOs of such an illicit nature to the relevant authorities as a matter of high importance.?" These are "signed" products like "mince made from pea-protein" and "a chicken-style strip that doesn't want to be stripped of its identity."

The latest part of the social media campaign, posted on Friday, ostensibly made reference to the panic that government-led seizures would start on Monday.

"Hey fans, it seems our 'Unidentified Frying Objects' are causing quite the stir again," The Fry Family Food Co. said in a Facebook post.

"We just want to assure you that it's business as usual for Fry's. We have put measures in place to protect our products so keep calm and carry on munching on your plant-based favs."

The post ended with a link to M.C. Hammer's 1990s hit "U Can't Touch This", ostensibly as a jibe at the DALRRD and Food Safety Agency's failed attempt to enact seizures on Monday.