Pilchards have been trending lately as consumers were urged to return specified cans of it in tomato sauce where they had purchased them after they were proclaimed to be unfit for consumption.
This comes after West Point Processors, a manufacturer and food supplier of Shoprite, among other retailers, issued a statement recalling 400g pilchards in tomato sauce products, with the specific batch codes starting with ZST2 and ZSC2.
According to the Independent Media newspaper, The Mercury, the manufacturer said the affected brands were Cape Point, Saldanha, Shoprite Ritebrand, Checkers Housebrand, U-brand and OK Housebrand.
Lucky Star pilchards. Picture: Supplied
The publication reported that the manufacturer said there is a small possibility that some tins may have a canning deficiency which could make the product unfit for consumption.
And that they are working to identify the issue and ensure that their product meets the high standard their consumers rightly expect from them.
They also reported that the bulk of the stock that may be affected had been isolated at its factories and distribution centres across the country, and had been removed from store shelves.
But, to just clear the air, iconic South African canned fish brand, Lucky Star said there is no problem with their product, meaning people can continue consuming it.
This was said by the regional manager for Lucky Star, Deonne van Aarde to Martin Bester on the Breakfast show on Jacaranda FM this week.
“There is no problem with our product. We have a great brand. Pilchards are high in Omega 3 and it's high in protein," said Van Aarde.