Over 25 tonnes of meat, formaldehyde-spiked offal seized from unlicensed factory in Chonburi
Livestock officials seized 25 tonnes of pork, beef and offal from an unauthorised food-processing plant in Chonburi last week. The plant is believed to have supplied fresh meat and offal to more than 60 restaurants in the eastern province.
The officials from the Chonburi branch of the Livestock Development Department also found that the plant processed offal by preserving it in formaldehyde solution.
Somchuan Ratanamungklanon, the department’s director-general, said on Saturday that the plant in Sri Racha district was raided on Thursday in response to complaints from local residents that the factory may be operating without a licence.
Somchuan said the factory did not have the licences required for processing food, transporting or trading animal carcasses and meat.
Hence, he said, the plant’s owner will be charged with violating the Animal Disease Control Act, the Food Act and the Animal Slaughtering Act.
He said the plant used dangerous chemicals like formaldehyde, which is usually used to preserve corpses, sodium hydroxide and hydrogen peroxide to make the offal look fresh.
He said officials had also seized 50 containers, each of 25-litre capacity, filled with formaldehyde solution and 2,300 receipts showing the factory supplied meat and offal to 66 Thai-style shabu and Isaan food shops in the province.
Somchuan said samples from the factory will be sent for a lab test to check for disease and dangerous chemicals.
He added that the owner has 15 days to provide the required documents if he wants his stock back, otherwise the seized goods will be destroyed and the owner prosecuted.
