Meatball factory shut down for illegal meat production

Do you really know if the meatball you are eating is legit? An unregistered meatball factory in the Khlong Luang district of Pathum Thani Province was raided by officials from the Thai Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Central Investigation Bureau, due to alleged violations of food safety regulations.

The factory had been producing low-quality meatballs without the necessary licenses from the FDA and provincial administration for the past two years and distributing them to over 40 outlets in Bangkok and nearby provinces.

During the inspection, officials discovered over 30 bags of raw pork and chicken as well as a pile of meatballs soaking in 12 kilogrammes of sodium benzoate preservative. The production process was found to be in violation of Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) standards because borax and sodium benzoate was used. Samples of the meatballs from the factory were sent to the Medical Sciences Department for testing to determine the amount of borax, preservatives, and bacteria present.

The owner of the factory admitted to using chicken as a cheaper substitute in his “Ja Ae” brand of pork meatball product. He said that the factory had spent the past two years distributing 300-800 kilogrammes of meatballs every day to over 41 establishments located in Bangkok, as well as the Greater Bangkok suburb provinces of Pathum Thani, Nonthaburi, and Samut Prakan.

One of the customers was an international school in Pathum Thani. The school was advised to dispose of the 65 kilogrammes of meatballs it received on Wednesday from the factory.

The factory owner now faces multiple charges, including producing fake food, which could result in imprisonment for up to ten years and a fine of up to 100,000 baht. He also faces charges of improperly labelling a product, which could carry a fine of up to 30,000 baht, and of operating a food factory that does not comply with GMP standards, which could result in a fine of 10,000 baht.