Illegal meatball factory raided, dirty products flood Bangkok and surrounding areas

The Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) police conducted a raid at an illegal meatball factory in the central province of Pathum Thani on December 18. The substandard and dirty products were found to be shipped throughout Bangkok and surrounding provinces.

CIB officers launched proactive measures and operations against illegal food producers in the country after six children suffered dizziness and rapid heartbeat after eating sausages last year, 2022. Officers monitored and tested several products until they discovered the illegal meatball factory in Pathum Thani province.

The factory reportedly produced pork meatballs under unhygienic conditions and sold them to vendors in local markets in Bangkok and surrounding areas. These included the Ying Charoen Market, Than Phet Pathum Thani Market and other markets in the Huay Kwang, Lat Plakao, Saimai and Taling Chan districts of Bangkok.

Officers later raided the factory which was converted from a house in the Khlong Luang district of Pathum Thani province on December 18. They found that each worker was mixing ingredients and performing each step with their bare hands. The factory was also dirty and the equipment was not up to standard.

In addition, the factory was mixing chicken into pork meatballs to cut costs but did not tell customers and did not include the information on the meatball packages.

A Thai woman named Thandarin presented herself as a factory owner. She admitted that her factory was operating without a permit and that her food products did not meet the standards of the Food and Drug Administration.

Thandarin also confessed to mixing dangerous sodium hydrosulphite and preservatives into the food in excessive amounts. Her factory produced about 200 kilogrammes of meatballs per day, and about 3,000 kilogrammes per month. Most of her customers were noodle shops.

For adding prohibited ingredients to food products, Thandarin will face a penalty of up to two years, a fine of up to 20,000 baht, or both for violating the Food Act. She also faces a fine of up to 30,000 baht for offering false information on the food label.