Expired: Canned fish. Picture: supplied. Picture: SAPS
Retail giant Woolworths said it is aware of the police discovery of a counterfeit goods factory involving canned Lucky Star pilchards in Woolworths-branded cartons.
IOL reported last week that seven illegal immigrants were arrested by police in Gauteng during a raid at a factory where workers were packaging and altering dates on expired Lucky Star canned fish.
Gauteng provincial police spokesperson, Captain Tintswalo Sibeko, told IOL that the seven appeared before the Vereeniging Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday where they were remanded in custody.
On Saturday Woolies issued a statement saying it believed the canned fish were part of a sub-standard imported batch which was imported into South Africa, which it rejected.
“Whilst this investigation is ongoing, we have strong reason to believe that the product in question may have formed part of an imported shipment from an international supplier that was rejected by Woolworths, as a result of it failing to meet our stringent quality control standards,” the retail giant said.
Woolworths said in the event of a product being rejected, it becomes the immediate responsibility of the supplier to collect and responsibly dispose of the stock from Woolworths warehouses.
“We have launched our own investigation to determine why this process was not adhered to in this instance. At Woolworths, we take food safety and the wellbeing of our customers extremely seriously. It is our number one priority.
“We would therefore like to remind our customers that Woolworths-labelled products must only be purchased at Woolworths stores, or through our Woolworths online channel.”
Police said the owner of the operation remains at large.
jonisayi.maromo@iol.co.za
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