South Africa’s biggest meal producer, Tiger Brands, confirmed on Monday, July 26, that the company will be recalling around 20 million Koo and Hugo’s canned vegetable products following security considerations due to probable faulty cans.
According to Big News Network, the recalls amounted to 9% of annual production with an impact of roughly R650 million. The initial discovery was made in May this year when 18 cans at one of the Tiger Brand’s facilities had a poor side seam weld that could cause leakage.
News24 reports that the cans came from a supplier. That batch and seven others were not released for trade, but it has been suspected that some cans for a defective batch did. A transport and handling test was performed, and out of 287 040 cans, a side seam leak developed in two cans.
“A leak in a can presents a risk of secondary microbial contamination after the canned products are dispatched into the marketplace. Where such contamination occurs, it will present a low probability of illness and injury if the contaminated product is consumed,” Tiger Brands said in an announcement.
“The financial impact of the recall, including the cost of the potentially affected stock that may be written off, transport and storage costs, as well as the loss of margin on the returned stock, is estimated at between R500 million and R650 million.”
Canned vegetable products that were produced between May 1 2019 – May 5 2021 are all being recalled. Koo canned fruit and pilchards are the only cans that have not been affected by this. Tiger Brands said it has product recall insurance. “The company’s claim under the contract with the third-party supplier is yet to be assessed.”
A representative of Tiger Brands’s Customer Care Service indicated to Cape{town} etc that consumers should not discard the products themselves but drop them off at any Pick n Pay, Shoprite or wholesaler as the company would know what to do with it.
Picture: Twitter / News24