Food safety and quality assurance

The sale of potatoes (locally and/or in foreign markets) is governed by the Agricultural Product Standards Act 119 of 1990. In recent times, the classing, packing, marking and labeling of potatoes have come under close scrutiny requiring for the Marketing Division to revisit the Agricultural Product Standards Act 119 of 1990 for relevance and possible modifications. In the 2016/2017 financial year, PSA initiated a process of harmonising local and export potato standards. The project is on-going and looks at the below encapsulated aspects of the Act:

• Standards Act definitions;
• Potato Classification;
• Potato Marking Requirements;
• Potato Packaging Requirements;
• Potato Palletisation Requirements;
• Potato Weight Loss;
• Quality Index

Many changes have taken place in the last decade and a half, including potato varieties, the size of potatoes and yet standards promulgated close to three decades ago have not been scrutinised for relevance. The Harmonisation of Potato Standards is a project that will seek to ensure relevance to achieve adherence.