Botswana said Wednesday that it has ordered the removal of certain brands of tinned pilchards from shelves that were imported from neighbouring South Africa.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health and Wellness Solomon Sekwakwa told consumers who recently bought 400 gram tins of pilchards manufactured by South Africa’s West Point Processors to return them to the shops where they purchased them for a full refund.
Sekwakwa revealed that the decision to recall the products followed communication from South Africa’s National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications (NRCS).
NRCS this week ordered all formal wholesalers, retailers and informal traders in South Africa to remove and stop selling 400g pilchards in tomato sauce and 400g pilchards in chili sauce with immediate effect.
This followed the outcome of an investigation which the organisation conducted that revealed a deficiency in the canning process.
Sekwakwa said all products with the batch codes starting with ZST29 and ZSC29 on top of the cans are subject to the recall.
KO/jn/APA