South Africa Emphasizes Importance of Food Safety Cooperation Under Belt and Road Initiative

South Africa, a significant player in the global food market, emphasizes the importance of food safety cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative. Minister Tshepo Motlhabane addressed the 2nd Conference on Import and Export Food Safety Cooperation Mechanism of the Belt and Road Initiative, held in Shanghai, highlighting the country's commitment to international cooperation in ensuring the safety of food products.

Minister Motlhabane acknowledged the "One Policy" approach of China, which prioritizes unified standards, coordinated governance, and science-based cooperation across ministries and sectors. This approach has provided clarity, predictability, and confidence for international partners, including South Africa. By adopting this approach, South Africa aims to ensure coherence in food safety policy, where clear rules are applied consistently, allowing farmers and exporters to trade on the basis of trust and transparency.

South Africa has a strong partnership with China, built on diplomatic ties, trade, development, and mutual prosperity. The country has reached a historic milestone in its agricultural trade with China, shipping its first full-season consignment of avocados to Shanghai in May 2025. This achievement reflects the power of collaboration, science-based trade, and trust between the two countries.

Key Takeaways:

• South Africa prioritizes food safety cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative, with a focus on international cooperation and science-based approaches.
• The country adopts China's "One Policy" approach to food safety, emphasizing unified standards, coordinated governance, and science-based cooperation.
• South Africa and China have a strong partnership in agricultural trade, with a historic milestone achieved in May 2025, when South Africa shipped its first full-season consignment of avocados to Shanghai.
• The country has a shared responsibility between the Ministries of Agriculture and Health, with the Ministry of Agriculture overseeing food safety along the production chain, and the Ministry of Health ensuring consumer protection through regulations on nutrition, food labeling, additives, and contaminants.
• South Africa aligns its standards with international bodies, including the Codex Alimentarius Commission, the International Plant Protection Convention, and the World Organisation for Animal Health, to keep markets open and ensure export compliance.
• The country uses digital systems to share information quickly and transparently with trading partners, including the Perishable Products Export Control Board, which inspects consignments of fresh produce bound for international markets.
• South Africa applies internationally recognized practices, such as Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) on farms, Good Hygiene Practices during handling, and the application of the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points system in processing plants and abattoirs.
• The country maintains a network of accredited laboratories, public and private, that test food for compliance, and shares data between Ministries of Health and Agriculture to ensure quick and consistent action.
• South Africa is committed to the African Continental Free Trade Area and the establishment of the African Food Safety Agency under the African Union, which aims to harmonize food safety standards across the continent and create a central data hub for risk assessment and training.

Statistics:

• Over 91 million people in Africa are affected by foodborne disease every year, with around 137,000 lives lost annually (World Bank estimates).
• The cost of foodborne disease to African economies is estimated at over US$110 billion annually (World Bank estimates).
• South Africa shipped its first full-season consignment of avocados to Shanghai in May 2025.

Sources:

• "Speech by Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development, Thoko Didiza, at the 2025 Agricultural and Agro-processing Summit" on behalf of Minister Tshepo Motlhabane
• "Import and Export Food Safety Cooperation Mechanism of the Belt and Road Initiative"