South Africa fruit industry leaders have reassured customers that all possible steps have been taken to eliminate packaging material which may have been contaminated with glass particles.
“Fruit which had already been packed or shipped had to be isolated and repacked,” said Hortgro’s Anton Rabe. “In all we are pleased with the way the industry has reacted and we are certain that things will return to normal soon.”
The news of the contamination has caused concern in the industry since it first came to light, and concerns pulp trays which were manufactured between 12 September 2011 and 7 March 2012.
“Although indications are that extremely low risks can be associated with this incident,all appropriate steps will be taken by South African suppliers in transparent and open discussions with their clients to safely remove or repack consignments which may possibly have been affected,' Rabe added.
The pulp trays were manufactured by Huhtamaki SA (Pty) Ltd and supplied to their South African clients. Huhtamaki SA notified their South African clients of possible traces of glass particles in their pulp trays.
The trays are made from pulp which is manufactured and obtained from recycled paper and then used in the packing of fruit in boxes for transport to the market. Hortgro said it had been informed that Huhtamaki was continuing its investigation and that the industry will be informed of any progress made.
The contamination caused alarm in the South African pome and stonefruit sectors, with consignments being repacked using polystyrene trays and scheduled shipments being disrupted, while fruit already in the market could not be sold immediately.
Describing the past week as a challenging one for the South African industry, Rabe said that the value of good systems to isolate the problem had again proved valuable.
“It is a manageable problem and every stakeholder should assess what appropriate actions are required for their own unique circumstances,” he explained
Hortgro has also asked its legal representatives to contact the manufacturers to ensure that the rights and interests of producers are safeguarded.
“We will also advise Huhtamaki to conduct an independent third-party risk assessment to verify the risks associated with contaminated trays. We are now awaiting these results. Our legal advisors also drafted a guidance document for packhouses and exporters about which documentation or actions are required to ensure speedy and efficient handling of claims and cost recovery which may flow from this incident.”
It is not yet known what the scale of losses will be, and while there will be additional repacking and cooling cost in South Africa, consignments already shipped will have to be repacked on arrival. This is likely to result in substantial claims and a further legal processes.
The South African stonefruit and topfruit industries use both polystyrene and pulp trays and the impact of the contamination will therefore vary from packhouse to packhouse, and from one exporter to another.There are also consignments of pulp trays being held by the industry which is not affected by this incident.
Rabe noted that the South Africa fruit industry is internationally known for its excellent systems, protocols and product quality.
“The proactive steps taken by industry role-players, and the transparent and responsible manner in which this incident is being dealt with by packhouses,exporters and the pulp tray supplier, will ensure a smoothphasing out of affected consignments and operations should return to normal soon,' he said.
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