South African labelling requirements, unpacked

The world has gone global and there’s no turning back. Markets are expanding and with this,  new opportunities to introduce unique products to new markets. Businesses want to expand into these foreign markets and reap the vast and substantial benefits of doing so.

The first port of call to importing products into SA is to understand South African regulations, one of them being South African labelling requirements. South Africa’s labelling and marking regulations are established and maintained by the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS), an agency within the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). As part of SABS’ labelling and marking responsibilities, the following categories are handled:

• Electro-technical
• Mechanical and Materials
• Mining and Minerals
• Transportation
• Chemicals
• Food and Health
• Services

General Labelling Requirements: An Overview

To help guide you on labelling and to get a step closer to efficiently and effectively exporting goods to South Africa, we’ve provided a general overview of the South African labelling requirements below:

• Labels must be written and printed in English and may be in at least one other official language of the Republic of South Africa.
• It is important to include the names of any preservatives or colourants in the ingredients list. Preservatives or colourants can be identified by their names or numbers, but numbers are not required.
• In cases where the product makes a nutritional claim, such as “vitamin enriched” or “high in iron”, nutritional tables must appear on the label. There must be nutrient quantities per serving or per container size in the table. It is mandatory to list all nutrient quantities in Standard International (SI) units.
• It is prohibited for the labels to contain any misleading claims.
• There are some banned ingredients that products must not contain, such as hydroquinone (a skin lightener)

Typography

• Printed product names must be at least 4mm high.
• There must be a prominent description of the product in the same font, size, and prominence as its name.
• The storage instructions must be printed in bold capital letters and with a type size of at least 3 mm.
• In addition, all other information should be printed in a font with a height of at least 1mm.

Design

• With regards to importing or exporting a product, the design is relevant regarding a product’s content and how it is portrayed on the packaging images or design. This design should never be confusing or misleading in any way.

Labelling of Foods, cosmetics and disinfectants

These products should be labelled in line with South African labelling guidelines and as laid out in the Foodstuffs, Cosmetics and Disinfectants Act (Act 54 of 1972), including the various amendments to the Act. Goods that arrive at customs with inadequate labelling will be blocked by customs.

The following are some of the most important labelling requirements outlined in the Act that need to be printed on the label:

• Name of the brand
• Name of the product – this must be accurate and explain what is inside the package, and in detail
• Name and street address of the manufacturer, packer or distributor
• You can either state “Product of [insert country of origin]” if all ingredients are from that nation or “Produced in [insert country of origin]” if ingredients originated from another nation
• Date of manufacture
• A date on which it expires
• The batch number
• Size and weight of the product
• List of ingredients, starting with the word “Ingredients” and descending according to mass
• Instructions on how to use the food or product
• Special storage conditions where applicable
• The prescribed format for identifying allergens
• The name and address in South Africa of the importer or distributor
• The net contents in metric units
• Additionally, specific foods and agricultural products must also comply with the relevant Agricultural Standards Act.

There is certain information that is not allowed to appear on any product packaging. Make sure the following are not outlined on your product packaging:

• ‘X’ % fat-free. It must be stated on the product that it contains xx % fat.
• The word nutritious or another word with the same meaning. In this case, ‘goodness’ would be included.
• The words healthy, healthful, or health may not be used interchangeably, or any words implying the same.
• Various terms or words denoting wholesome, complete, or balanced nutrition.
• Sugar-free” and “fat-free” are only allowed when certain conditions are met under the Food Labelling Regulations.
• Suitable for those with diabetes”, “diabetic friendly” or words with a similar meaning are technically not permitted.

When describing something, all descriptive words must be carefully chosen to ensure that no implied claims are made.

Labelling for clothing, footwear and textiles

South Africa’s labelling requirements for clothing, textiles and footwear are all covered in the Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008. To learn more you can access and read a summary of the Act here.

All footwear, leather, clothing and textiles imported into South Africa must have a label permanently affixed, according to the Act, and must indicate the following:

• Where the product was made: It’s country of origin
• In the case where a South African textile manufacturer has used imported greige fabric to produce dyed, printed, or finished fabric, an indication is made that this such fabric has been dyed, printed, or finished in South Africa, from imported fabric
• An indication in the form of a label in the case where a locally manufactured product uses imported material. This must state: “Made in South Africa from imported material”
• Fibre content and instructions of care, as per terms outlined by the SABS

Further proposed labelling, advertising, and composition requirements for cosmetics can be found in sections 8 and 9 of the Foodstuffs, Cosmetics and Disinfectants Act: Regulations. Interested in downloading the proposed amendment? Click here.

Options if imported products are incorrectly labelled

If you have already imported food, cosmetics or other products with incorrect labels it is possible to print a stick-on label that contains the correct details and stick it over the original label. If you choose not to print stick-on labels, the alternative options are:

• to return the products to the supplier,
• make sure the products are to be destroyed with prior permission.