Peanut butter maker fined after Pick n Pay, Dis-Chem recall
Supplied/ Pick n Pay
Peanut butter manufacturer House of Natural Butters has agreed to pay a R500 000 fine more than a year after its products were recalled from Pick n Pay and Dis-Chem stores.
In February last year, Pick n Pay recalled some peanut butter brands that contained higher-than-allowed aflatoxins, toxins produced by fungi.
Pick n Pay recalled its No Name Smooth Peanut Butter, as well as the Eden peanut butter brand.
Dis-Chem also recalled its own Lifestyle peanut butter.
Both retailers confirmed that the National Consumer Commission (NCC) found they were supplied by House of Natural Butters.
When the NCC investigated the company, they found it had supplied contaminated and decayed impure peanuts, groundnuts and other products to several retailers between May and November 2023.
'The respondent imported the products from Malawi and Zambia using trucks and trailers, via land borders and port entries. The trucks and trailers did not have the requisite certificates of acceptability required for the transportation of food.'
The NCC said that laboratory test revealed the products were 'contaminated, decayed and impure'.
The company, which is trading as Eden All Butters, agreed to pay the fine, which was confirmed by the National Consumer Tribunal last week.
Meanwhile, the NCC said that another peanut butter manufacturer implicated in the matter was also being investigated.
Acting NCC commissioner Hardin Ratshisusu said in a statement: 'The NCC welcomes this consent order [from the tribunal] as it brings this matter against House of Natural Butters to a finality. It is incumbent upon suppliers of food products in the South African market to ensure strict compliance with food safety regulations and the Consumer Protection Act.'
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The Americas region accounted for 6% of South Africa's agricultural exports in 2024. The rest of the world, including the United Kingdom, accounted for 10% of the exports. In a nutshell, China's signalling the willingness to lower import tariffs is a welcome development. However, it will only become more substantial once more information becomes available. From a South African side, the relevant government departments should consider, through the local Embassy, sending an enquiry about unlocking this process. Ultimately, China is one of the focus areas in South Africa's long-term agricultural export diversification strategy, and any opportunity to further this plan should be pursued vigorously. Importantly, while China's offer looks generous, a country like South Africa needs to draw appropriate lessons from experience. Unilateral duty-free, quota-free market access is a double-edged sword: in the short to medium term, they can help a country increase the share of its exports in a significant market, but since these are not anchored in reciprocity, the largesse can disappear if there are frictions between the two parties, for example, over geopolitics. In short, non-reciprocal arrangements can lead to dependence and can easily be exploited by the benefactor as a means of political leverage to achieve strategic ends. While South Africa—and indeed African countries—should take advantage of this opportunity, we must aim to conclude a bilateral trade agreement with China that guarantees predictability and certainty and is durable. Wandile Sihlobo is chief economist of the Agricultural Business Chamber of South Africa (Agbiz).
