The Shoprite Group has recalled pilchards in tomato sauce company branded or in-house brands in its stores across the country.

“There is a small possibility that some tins may have a canning deficiency which could make the product unfit for consumption,” Business Insider SA reported quoting the manufacturer’s [West Point Processors] statement on Saturday.

According to eNCA, the recalled 400g canned Pilchards in tomato sauce were “manufactured by West Point Processors…” and “will affect Cape Point, Saldanha, Shoprite’s RiteBrand, Checkers House brand, U-Brand and OK House brands.”

Household retailers such as Checkers, Shoprite, U-Save and OK are subsidiaries of The Shoprite Group [Shoprite Holdings Limited].

Brands like “Cape Point and Saldanha can be purchased at any convenience store,” eNCA further stated.

The Shoprite Group, the number one consumer products retailer in Africa according to the Deloitte “African Powers of Retailing” 2015 report cited by Fin24, urged its customers in possession of the 400-gram (400g) store-brands of pilchards in tomato sauce to return them for a refund. The concerned items have since been moved off the shelves.

In terms of the affected category of canned pilchards, eNCA reported that “[c]onsumers who have purchased the products need to check the code if it starts with ZST-2 and ZSC-2”.

There is a developing trend by retailers to in-source or offer the much-sought-after products under their own companies brands across the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) market.

More often than not, retailer brands sell consumer goods at lower prices than well-known manufacturers or national brands.