Company apologises after tilapia sold as mackerel

Directors of a company accused of selling mislabeled canned fish apologised to the public today, insisting that the products were safe to eat despite containing fish that did not match the labels and claiming they had been produced only on a trial basis.

They did not, however, clearly explain how the trial products were released onto the market, saying only that an investigation is under way.

Meanwhile, Thitiporn Laoprasert, director-general of the Department of Fisheries, said laboratory test results had confirmed that the fish contained in the canned products was tilapia, not blackchin tilapia, as widely speculated.

She said the company violated the Food Act B.E. 2522 (1979) by producing counterfeit food, as the raw materials used did not match the product label.

The issue surfaced after a Facebook user noticed that canned fish labelled as mackerel looked different from the type he normally consumed.

After opening all the cans in the pack, as well as additional packs bought by a friend, they found the same type of fish inside. A video posted online suggested the fish resembled blackchin tilapia.

Yesterday, ‘Kittipong’ and ‘Pathumrat’, the company’s directors, apologised, saying the firm regretted the incident, especially its impact on consumers.

They insisted the company had not ignored the problem and had already begun contacting consumers to provide compensation, while also recalling the affected products.

They claimed that the product was an experimental item using tilapia instead of mackerel as the main ingredient and said it was safe to consume and posed no health risk.

At the same time, the company said it was seeking approval to correct the product labelling to bring it in line with the law.

Kittipong said he could not yet provide a clear explanation and needed to review documents and the production process first. He also said the company could not yet confirm the quantity produced.

As for how the experimental product ended up on sale, the executives insisted there had been no intention to distribute it commercially, but admitted there may have been an error in the production or distribution process. Further investigation is needed to determine at what stage the mistake occurred.

The company said it has operated for more than 15 years and remains committed to producing quality products at fair prices. Due to economic conditions and rising costs, though, it had tried to maintain its, leading to the trial use of tilapia as an alternative raw material.

Thailand’s Food and Drug Administration (TFDA) has inspected and seized more than 10,000 cans of the products after discovering labelling violations.