Restaurants and retailers are crucial stakeholders in showcasing South Africa's great foods. Some have made efforts to showcase famous food products from European heritage. However, they ignore the gems in South Africa's foods. It is time to be knowledgeable and honest about the origins of the food products served to South Africans and tourists. A bit of history here and there would add to the experience, and such history would also market our beautiful country's various agricultural and food-producing regions -- a small effort with significant returns.

Listen to this article 5 min Listen to this article 5 min Because South Africa produces such a wide variety of high-quality foods, promoting one region or taste doesn't necessarily mean others are substandard. Instead, it signals the different flavours and respects consumers' various preferences.

Labelling products correctly in the store and on the menu will enhance consumers' eating and shopping experience. Consumers are tired of commodities without specific details of the product's origin.

advertisementDon't want to see this? Remove adsConsider lamb meat; we have Kalahari lamb, Karoo lamb, Free State lamb and lamb from other regions of South Africa. These should be sold and marketed to consumers as such products. Yet, the dilemma is that wholesalers and retailers are inclined to market any lamb as Karoo lamb, which is more famous and has a relatively greater reputational value than the other regions.

By equating Karoo lamb to any lamb, we have undermined the premium value of the lamb produced by Karoo farmers under very harsh conditions and long distances to markets.

The wholesalers and retailers hold the Karoo abattoirs and farmers to ransom by not paying the appropriate price for their lamb because they know they are getting...