Retail food giant Woolworths on Saturday said it is aware of the ongoing police investigation following the discovery of a counterfeit goods factory involving canned branded Lucky Star pilchards in Woolworths-branded cartons.
IOL reported earlier this week that seven undocumented migrants on Wednesday appeared in court after they 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.
In an update, Gauteng provincial police spokesperson, Captain Tintswalo Sibeko, told IOL that the seven appeared before the Vereeniging Magistrate’s Court where they were remanded in custody.
On Saturday, Woolworths said it believed the canned fish are part of sub-standard imported batch which was imported into South Africa, which it rejected to take.
“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 dispose of the stock from Woolworths warehouses responsibly.
“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,” the retailer said in a statement.
“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.”
The seven arrested people are aged between 18 and 29. Police said the owner of the operation remains at large.
“On (Monday) November 11, 2024, a joint operation between Crime Intelligence from Zamdela, Sasolburg and SAPS Kliprivier yielded significant results in the fight against counterfeit goods,” said Captain Sibeko.
She said during a raid along Eland Street, Daleside, law enforcement authorities seized a large quantity of counterfeit Lucky Star pilchards.
The police also discovered printing equipment which was used to alter expiry dates on the containers of expired Lucky Star packaging.
The altered Lucky Star tins were being packed in boxes marked “Woolworths Food”.
“Police opened a case of contravention of the Foodstuffs, Cosmetics and Disinfectants Act (Act 54 of 1972), Section 17(c), possession of suspected stolen properties and contravention of the Immigration Act, Act 13 of 2002.”
IOL