October 7, 2015

Restrictions on brine-injected chickens could affect South Africa's poultry sector

Restrictive measures on South Africa's brine-injected chicken portions are not only difficult to implement but would also burden the local industry, said poultry producers in the country.

Brining involves the injection of fat and salt solutions into individual cuts of chicken, according to the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, with an official limit yet to be imposed on the process. Brining could constitute 10% of whole birds, up from 8% previously, Bloomberg Business reported.

The industry is need of "technically valid, enforceable and economically realistic" regulations, said Kevin Lovell, the CEO of South African Poultry Association.

"The current draft does not fit those criteria. Our business will get smaller and sell less, then the price will start to rise in the supermarkets where people buy."

Also required of the sector is the need for factually-accurate product labels stating substances inserted into poultry as well as a yearly test to determine water uptake levels and injection limits.

The new requirements are being implemented over six months, the agriculture department said.