Foodstuffs, Cosmetics and Disinfectants Act, 1972 (Act No. 54 of 1972)RegulationsRegulations Governing General Hygiene Requirements for Food Premises, the Transport of Food and Related Matters8. Standards and requirements for the display, storage and temperature of food |
| (1) | Food that is displayed or stored must not be in direct contact with a floor, ceiling, wall or any ground surface. |
| (2) | A shelf or display case used for displaying or storing food or any container must be kept clean and free from dust or any other impurity. |
| (3) | Non-prepacked, ready-to-consume food, including food served as meals and displayed in an open container, must be protected in accordance with the best available method, against droplet contamination or contamination by insects, dust or bare hands. |
| (4) |
| (a) |
| (i) | Subject to subregulation (5) food specified in Annexure E to these Regulations must, excluding the time taken by the food to cool down or to be heated to the required temperature in accordance with good manufacturing practice, during the storage, transport or display thereof, be kept at a core temperature not exceeding the core temperature specified in column 3 of Annexure E opposite the relevant category of food. |
| (ii) | Food may not be sold if, in the case of frozen or chilled food products, the core temperature thereof is higher than the required core temperature or the surface temperature thereof is more than 2°C higher than the required core temperature, and, in the case of heated food products, the core temperature thereof is lower than the required core temperature or the surface temperature thereof is more than 2°C lower than the required core temperature. |
| (b) | The provisions of paragraph (a) do not apply to— |
| (i) | perishable food that will be sold directly to a consumer within four hours of being processed or prepared or that will be consumed on the food premises within four hours of being processed or prepared; |
| (ii) | venison, for a period not exceeding eight hours after the animal concerned has been killed, but the surface temperature thereof must not exceed 25°C; |
| (iii) | whole freshly caught or harvested raw fish, molluscs or crustaceans or raw meat or edible offal or the carcasses of cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, horses, mules, donkeys, rabbits or ostriches after slaughtering and while being transported for a period not exceeding one hour during delivery, but the surface temperature thereof must not exceed 25°C; |
| (iv) | food exposed to higher temperatures than those referred to in this regulation during a maturation period or as part of a manufacturing process, but exposure to such higher temperatures must be in accordance with good manufacturing practice. |
| (5) |
| (a) | Food, excluding frozen fish and seafood, that is marketed as a frozen product and has thawed, but the surface temperature of which has not exceeded 5°C, may be refrozen, but the refrozen product must be handled in accordance with good manufacturing practice. |
| (b) | In the case of frozen fish and seafood, the refrozen product must be handled in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Compulsory Specifications stipulated by the National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications. |
| (6) | Frozen food thawed for further processing may be re-frozen, provided that— |
| (a) | the core temperature does not exceed 5°C; |
| (b) | the thawing process is as short as possible and does not exceed 10 hours (as the case may be); |
| (c) | the run-off liquid from the thawing process is adequately drained to prevent cross contamination; |
| (d) | the food is handled in accordance with good manufacturing practice; and |
| (e) | the chilling commences immediately to comply with the temperatures indicated in Annexure E. |
| (7) | The code of practice for measuring the temperature of food set out in Annexure G to these Regulations must, in so far as it is applicable, be applied to measuring the temperature of food. |