FDA seizes illegally imported Chinese food from Bangkok stores
More than 3,000 food items imported from China were seized from seven Bangkok stores on Saturday during a raid by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
FDA deputy secretary-general Weerachai Nolwachai said that checks by his agency and the Consumer Protection Police Division discovered that 3,783 food products sold at the stores were not certified by the Thai FDA.
“They have no proper labels for food products, no Thai labels, and they are not registered as FDA-certified food products,” he said.
The products seized included processed meat, packaged sauces, instant foods, and ready-to-eat food products.
About 120 samples were collected for further testing, Weerachai said. The confiscated items were handed over to the Consumer Protection Police Division for legal action.
Weerachai said that the FDA also instructed provincial offices of the Public Health Ministry to check local stores in their areas for similar imported food products.
He stressed that importers and distributors of imported food products are required to make sure that they meet Thai law regarding the sale of food products.
“Even if your customers are mainly Chinese tourists, Chinese people living in Thailand, and Thais of Chinese descent, everyone needs to comply with Thai law, with no exceptions,” Weerachai said.
He advised consumers to buy only products with proper labels in Thai specifying details about the food product, including the product’s name, the importer’s name and address, production and expiry dates, and an FDA registration number.
Questions and complaints can be filed through the FDA hotline (1556), its Line account (@FDAThai), Facebook page (FDAThai), email ([email protected]), postal address (PO Box 1556 Nonthaburi 11004), or at any provincial office throughout the country.
