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South Africa boasts one of Africa's most developed and diverse economies, supported by a robust commercial sector and sophisticated distribution networks.

On June 9, 2025, the Israeli Ministry of Environmental Protection published a request for public comments on changes to the Deposit Law on Beverage Containers.

The FAIRS Annual Country Report provides a comprehensive summary of the rules and regulations governing the import of food and agricultural products to South Africa.

This report has been updated to include the latest information relevant to exporting to South Africa. The Food and Agricultural Import Regulation and Standards (FAIRS) Certificate Report provides a comprehensive list of the main certificates required for exporting plants, animals, and animal products to South Africa.

On February 2, 2025, the Government of Israel published the “Public Health Protection (Food) (Food that is an Alcoholic Food), 2025 Regulation.” Under this regulation, the Ministry of Economy’s authority over alcoholic beverages was transferred to the Ministry of Health.

On March 27, 2025, the Israeli Ministry of Justice and the Israeli Ministry of Health published a request for public comments on changes to European Union Directive 1999/2/EC related to reporting requirements in food and food ingredients treated with ionizing radiation.

On February 27, 2025, the Israeli Ministry of Justice and the Israeli Ministry of Health published a request for public comments on changes to European Union regulation No 1169/2011 related to the provision of food information for consumers.

On February 26, 2025, the Israeli Ministry of Justice and the Israeli Ministry of Health published a request for public comments on changes to five European Union regulations related to labeling (including messages and prohibited and restricted substances in food) and food improvement agents.

On February 5, 2025, the Israeli Ministry of Justice and the Israeli Ministry of Health published a request for public comments on the domestic application of changes to the Annex to European Union Directive 396/2005, amending the regulation for the maximum residue levels (MRLs) for pesticides in food and feed of plant and animal origin.

On January 29, 2025, the Israeli Ministry of Justice and the Israeli Ministry of Health published a request for public comments for the application of changes to the Annex of European Union Directive 2023/915.

Recent amendments to the Israeli Law for Enhancement of Competition in the Food Sector (2014) highlight the efforts of the Israeli government to lower the cost of living.

Import permits for genetically engineered (GE) corn from the United States are once again issued by South Africa. After a mid-summer drought that caused a 22 percent drop in production, South Africa needs to import corn to supplement domestic production.