INDUSTRY NEWS

A new totally natural sparkling fruit water with 0 calories infused with real African fruit hits SA this summer
ONE54 South Africa disrupts the healthy drinks category with the launch of a premium and African-centric innovation, A1 Fruit Water

Global food prices rise by 3.9%
Global food commodity prices rose sharply in November to their highest level in nearly six years, according to a benchmark United Nations report released today.

These are the food trends that Whole Foods predicts will be big in 2021
As 2020 winds down, food and beverage industry observers are forecasting what trends will drive change in 2021. America’s trend-setting Whole Foods Market has released its predictions of ten trends that will matter in 2021.

SA’s 2020 olive oil production thrives despite the pandemic
Despite the tumultuous times, South African olive oil producers have managed to produce 30% more olive oil than in 2019. This is according to SA Olive, an association representing the common interests of the South African olive industry.

South Africa’s opportunity in the global nose-to-tail culinary trend
A big emerging global meat trend is nose-to-tail meat consumption, says local trends expert, Jonathan Cherry, and one he believes ideally suits South African culture.

Demand for South African ‘superfood’ blueberries booming
Declared a superfood, the purplish fruit has allowed South African producers to sail through the setbacks of the coronavirus pandemic, exporting punnet after punnet of berries all year.

Alcohol sales and international travel restrictions eased as SA remains on level 1
South Africa’s national state of disaster will be extended until mid-December, President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Wednesday evening as he announced normal alcohol trading hours would be allowed along with flights from all foreign nations to help an economic recovery.

Cultivating agri development, economic growth in Africa
The financing of new investments in agriculture has always relied on a healthy financial eco-system: active banks, sound insurers and lively futures markets. The next set of gains will come from new platforms that allow small and large firms to connect to each other and to their shared stakeholders. Reciprocal exchange of market data will make smaller, efficient players more visible to large buyers.

Reimagining South Africa’s wine industry
No-one could have predicted the catastrophic consequences that COVID-19 would have across the world with its impact having been felt across nearly all industries. South Africa’s wine sector acutely felt the impact with Wines of South Africa (Wosa) reporting that the sector is running at a R7.5 billion loss, with over 21 000 jobs lost so far because of the pandemic.

Tetra Pak launches future packaging initiative
Food processing and packaging solutions company Tetra Pak South Africa has launched the Go Nature Go Carton campaign to highlight the growing population’s need for access to food packaging that keeps contents safe, nutritious and readily available.

Afreximbank to provide US$400mn to boost food security in Africa
The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) has approved a US$400mn revolving credit facility for the Export Trading Group (ETG), to support agri-food supply chains in Africa amid disruption caused by Covid-19.

World Food Day 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic changed everything – including what and how we eat. Some people faced long lines at supermarkets, others couldn’t buy food at all.

Food retailers commit to reduce food waste
Leading food retailers in South Africa have asserted their commitment to initiatives that reduce food waste in their businesses, during the launch of the Food Loss and Waste Voluntary Agreement, on Tuesday.

Introducing a South African staple in RTE format
South Africa’s ubiquitously consumed mealie/maize meal porridge/pap/putu has entered the ready-to-eat food market in the innovative form of Papstix, pre-packaged rolls filled with a tasty relish centre.

Health and wellness trend refreshes beverage innovation
Consumer interest in healthier diets is translating into healthy beverage innovation, with functional drinks and alcohol alternatives on the rise, as well as lower alcohol wines, beers and spirits.