Lucky Star
The canned fish brand Lucky Star says the canned pilchards seized in Daveton, Johannesburg, during a police raid on Monday, are fake.
The brand said in a statement that investigations and third-party experts have confirmed that the labels are counterfeit and that they do not use ring-pull lids on their canned pilchards.
Upon discovering the issue, Woolworths swiftly rejected the consignment and asked the supplier to collect the goods, demonstrating a commitment to quality and consumer safety.
A spokesperson for Oceana Group Limited said after collection, some of the consignment appeared to have been intercepted and illegally relabelled as Lucky Star using fake labels.
The SAPS raid on the perpetrators’ premises and the subsequent on-site inspection revealed an overwhelming amount of evidence, including but not limited to label printing machines, fake labels, easy-to-open ring pull cans, other substances, and paraphernalia, which are entirely inconsistent with the manufacture of our product and proves that the product seized is not of Lucky Star origin.
SAPS confiscated all stock and machinery.
Here is a checklist to identify counterfeit products:
1. Check the quality of the label. We use only high-quality paper that is unique to our product lines. Counterfeit goods labelling is generally of poorer quality.
2. Check the print clarity. Any smudging or colour shifting could indicate the product is counterfeit.
3. Check whether the label is misaligned or not adequately stuck to the can.
4. Check the unique product code and best-before-date ink-jetted on the end of the can.
5. Check the clarity and legibility of the bar code.
6. Check the unique, traceable codes printed on the label glue flap.
7. Check pallets for our security tape and identity tags.
8. Lucky Star cans do not have ring pull or easy-opening lids on our canned pilchards.
