Two years ago, the South African government attempted to ban ‘meaty’ names for plant-based meat. The decision was eventually overturned by a senior court, but not before making South African plant-based meat the attention of the world.

In South Africa, the market for plant-based meat is significant compared to the rest of the African continent, and growing. However, in the country, access to conventional meat is far from taken for granted. According to one study,​ access to meat is a status symbol in the country.

Can plant-based meat flourish under such conditions? How do consumers perceive it?  

Plant-based meat in South Africa ​

Plant-based meat has a significant presence in South Africa, and many international brands are widely available in shops there. More locally, one of its key meat producers, Feinschmecker Deli Meats, has a plant-based range, Gudness.

South Africa is also home to several plant-based meat companies. For example, Fry’s Family Foods, which produces a range of plant-based products including burgers, sausages and schnitzels, started in Durban, South Africa and now sells in a range of locations including the UK, the US, Australia, Germany and Thailand, as well as throughout the African continent.

Earlier this year, the Johannesburg High Court overturned a plan by the South African government to ban meat-related words on plant-based meat products (France’s attempt to implement a similar ban​ was recently overruled as well).

Under the ban, South Africa’s Food Safety Agency (FSA) would have seized products with meat-related names from supermarket shelves. The country’s Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) argued that this would save shoppers from confusion.