NEWS

INCORPORATING COLD CHAIN

Oceana ’ s Lucky Star brand of canned pilchards is a market leader in its category and accounts for approximately three million meals per day in South Africa . To achieve the company ’ s objective of ensuring food security for the nation , Oceana has increased its production capacity to provide cost effective , high protein meals to more families throughout the country .

Rich in omega-3 fatty acids , pilchards offer a healthy and nutritious alternative protein source to beef , pork or chicken — all of which are expected to increase in price as one of South Africa ’ s worst droughts continues to affect the agricultural sector .

The availability of this ocean resource is not sufficient to meet local demand . To make up for the shortfall in local supply , Oceana imports frozen pilchards from Morocco and Thailand for value added processing in its canneries at St Helena Bay and Laaiplek in the Western Cape .

This year the South African total allowable catch ( TAC ) for pilchards is 23 % less than last year , which would potentially have resulted in the reduction of working hours . However , the processing of frozen pilchards has enabled Oceana to provide year-round employment for about 1 390 employees who would otherwise have remained seasonal workers . Furthermore , it has resulted in cannery offal being channelled through to the fishmeal plant and processed into fishmeal and oil , resulting in additional hours of work for its workforce .

“ Our determination to meet consumer demand prompted us to start importing frozen pilchards . While still relying heavily on our local quota , our production has been enhanced by the importing of additional product ,” comments Oceana CEO , Francois Kuttel .

“ Processing of our local pilchard quota can guarantee our cannery staff employment for only between two and three months of the year and meets less than 50 % of the local demand for this staple favourite of many South Africans ,” adds Kuttel .

Since 2014 , Oceana has created more than 300 weeks of additional employment in the canneries , and have ensured year-round employment for formerly seasonal staff who are now not only paid a basic wage , but also enjoy benefits such as overtime , pension fund contributions , seasonal bonuses , and a production bonus .

Oceana has invested an additional R10-million in the Laaiplek facility to process a greater quantity of frozen fish ; currently the majority of imported frozen pilchards is processed in the St Helena Bay facility . The

Oceana Group