Fostering Aloe In Their Natural Habitat
Aloe Council of South Africa
The aloe industry (based on the Aloe vera plant) is arguably the largest of all medicinal plant industries, with a worldwide turnover of more than $110 billion. The turn over of just one American company producing tonic drinks based on Aloe is reportedly more than $2 billion.
“If the South African aloe industry, base on the indigenous Aloe Ferox, can be improved and gain only 1% of the international aloe trade, then a turn over of more than $1 billion can be raised” said Prof Ben- Erik van Wyk, Chairperson and Director of the Aloe Council of South Africa.
“Growth in the local industry would also create more jobs in rural areas: where unemployment is high and jobs are desperately needed”.
“That is why the publication of this standard (SANS 368, Aloe raw material) is so important for the local aloe industry if is is to gain a foothold in first world markets and compete successfully with the highly organised Aloe Vera industry
“The problem is that Aloe Vera is currently used as an international standard. So when local Aloe Ferox products are exported, they are measured against the Aloe Vera standards, and it is claimed that the product is not acceptable. By having a national standard to work to, South African exporters will then be able to convince overseas importers that their product is of high quality”, Van Wyk continued.
“This standard was developed to cater for all role players in the industry, by not expecting unrealistic and complicated analytical procedures. The main feature is transparency: the levels of required chemical compounds in the product must be revealed, so that the client can make his own judgement about its suitability for his purpose.”
“In other words, SANS 368 does not make any value judgements about one type of aloe being better than another, but simply ensures that both are of a high quality standard, and that the active ingredients and other ingredients are openly specified” he concluded.
In essence, the standard specifies requirement and test methods for Aloe Ferox raw material intended to be used in consumer products including health, cosmetic, health foods, medicinal, veterinary and industrial products. While primarily developed for Aloe Ferox, it might be applicable to other aloe Species.
NEW STANDARD (SANS 368) PUBLISHED FOR LOCAL ALOE INDUSTRY
Defining Professional Certification Standards
For Aloe Products