SU launches SA’s first
centre for food safety
Jorisna Bonthuys
E
fforts to support food safety in South
Africa received a significant boost
when Stellenbosch University (SU), in
conjunction with Tiger Brands, launched
the on-campus Centre for Food Safety (CFS)
recently.
This new centre, the first of its kind in the
country, will be a unique applied food science
research consortium comprised of scientists
working at SU and in the food industry.
The centre will conduct research on food
safety; provide expert advice to the industry,
policymakers, and other stakeholders; and
promote consumer awareness.
The centre will be situated in SU’s Department
of Food Science in the Faculty of AgriSciences
AgriKultuur |AgriCulture
and managed independently by the University.
Tiger Brands, one of the founding members,
has given R10 million to help establish the
centre.
The centre’s advisory board consists of
renowned international scientists, including
Prof Wilhelm Holzapfel (president of the
International Committee on Food Microbiology
and Hygiene), Prof Mieke Uyttendaele (from
the Department of Food Safety and Food
Quality at Ghent University in Belgium) and
Prof Stephen Forsythe (former professor of
microbiology at Nottingham Trent University
in Britain).
“Food safety is everyone’s responsibility,”
28