Bread is the second most important supplier of energy (kilojoules) in the South African diet after maize products. Apart from bread, bakers also produce other products like biscuits, pies and pizzas.
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Local business environment
South Africa manufactured 3 379 669 tons of wheaten products in the year August 2020-July 2021. SA imported a further 28 855 tons and exported 21 909 tons (SAGIS, 2021).
South Africa’s bread basket in the year August 2020 to July 2021 comprised of 48,4% white bread, 50,5% brown bread, 1,1% wholewheat, with a negligible percentage “other”. The units numbered 1 151 301 766 loaves white bread; 1 200 134 344 loaves brown bread; and 25 960 385 loaves wholewheat bread (SAGIS, 2021). This excludes bread baked in the non-commercial sector.
South Africa consumes about 2.4 billion breads per annum or 3.5 million Metric Tons (MT) of wheat and is dependent on imports to meet local demand. More than 80 percent of wheat imports into South Africa enter through the Durban port annually, which caused concern when the July 2021 unrest in KwaZulu-Natal broke out (USDA, 2021).
Source: SAGIS Wheat Forum 28 September 2021 presentation; USDA report “Impact of the Ongoing Civil Unrest in South Africa on Food and the Agricultural Sector
National strategy and government contact
Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) www.dalrrd.gov.za
- Find the link to the Marketing of Agricultural Products Act, 1996 (Act no. 47 of 1996) , R 884 , Establishment of Statutory Measure in respect of Maize Products and Wheaten Products at www.sacb.co.za and/or www.sagis.org.za.
- Find the regulations relating to the grading, packing and marking of bread wheat intended for sale in the Republic of South Africa (under the Agricultural Products Standards Act, 1990 (Act No. 119 of 1990) here.
- The document “Guidelines on key requirements for governments markets – bread, eggs and dairy products” can be found on the Directorate Marketing’s web pages on www.dalrrd.gov.za or click here.
Department of Health www.health.gov.za
- White and brown bread should be fortified in accordance with the Regulation relating to the fortification of certain foodstuffs, R.7634 of 7 April 2003, under the Foodstuffs, Cosmetics & Disinfectants Act, 1972 (Act No. 54 of 1972. Find it here.
Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (the dtic) www.thedtic.gov.za.
- The Trade Metrology Act of 1973 – Requirements for Bread.
National Regulator for Compulsory Specification (NRCS) www.nrcs.org.za
- The NRCS is mandated to regulate products on behalf of government such as vehicle components and others in the interest of public safety and to ensure fair trade. It also regulates all types of perishable goods. This includes the Trade Metrology Act of 1973.
Associations involved
- South African Chamber of Baking www.sacb.co.za
Also of relevance:
- Agbiz Grain www.agbizgrain.co.za
- South African Bakers Association https://sabakers.co.za
- Cereal Science and Technology – SA (CST – SA) www.cerealsa.co.za
- National Chamber of Milling (NCM) www.grainmilling.org.za
- South African Grain Laboratory (SAGL) www.sagl.co.za
- South African Grain Information Service (SAGIS) www.sagis.org.za
- Winter Cereals Trust www.wintercerealtrust.co.za
Training and research
- Agricultural Colleges like Tsolo Agriculture and Rural Development Institute (TARDI), linked to the provincial departments of Agriculture, do short courses in baking. Find the contact details on the “Agricultural education and training” page.
- Bakery and Food Technology Incubator of South Africa www.bicsa.co.za
- FoodBev www.foodbev.co.za FoodBev is the Sector Education and Training Authority (SETA) responsible for facilitating education and training in the food and beverages manufacturing sector. Of relevance to this chapter is FoodBev’s Baking, Cereals, Confectionary and Snacks Chamber.
- Ray Mhlaba Skills Training Centre https://raymhlabaskillscentre.org.za/bakery/
- Rich Products Corporation www.richs.co.za A centre which combines a state-of-the-art research and development centre and a bakery training school was opened in 2009.
- Read about the SACB’s Certificate in the Theory of Breadmaking and Certificate in the Basics of Breadmaking at www.sacb.co.za.
- Southern African Grain Laboratory (SAGL) www.sagl.co.za SAGL is a quality analyses laboratory and has ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation. It offers a variety of quality analyses on grains and oilseeds. The SAGL provide courses in laboratory training for both wheat (flour) and maize (meal) analyses.
- Find instructional baking videos on www.supremeflour.co.za. Supreme Flour has its own in-house Baking Academy
- University of the Free State Department of Microbiology and Biochemistry www.ufs.ac.za
Companies involved
Find the membership list on www.sacb.co.za. Also find the buyers guide at www.supermarket.co.za.
Websites and publications
Visit the websites listed earlier on this page.
- Find the annual Wheat Market Value Chain Profile on the DALRRD Directorate Marketing’s web pages at www.dalrrd.gov.za.
- For wheat related research documents and projects, contact the Winter Cereal Trust. Call 012 663 1600 or visit www.wintercerealtrust.co.za.
- Consult the Baker SA website at www.bakersa.co.za for articles, news and recipes.
- Bathie, G. 2000. Baking for Profit: Starting a small bakery. Abe Books. Available at http://developmentbookshop.com/food-processing-and-packaging
- Reporter. 2020, October 27. “Timely advice set Wendy on path to success”. Sowetan Live. Available at www.sowetanlive.co.za/business/2020-10-27-timely-advice-set-wendy-on-path-to-success
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