Thai FDA, Shopee & Lazada Unite to Remove Unsafe Food Products

[CharlieH]

Shopee, Lazada agree to remove illegal food products in 24 hours

 

E-commerce platforms have agreed to cooperate with the Thai FDA by removing all unregistered food products and taking prompt action against violations within 24 hours.

 

Thailand's two leading e-commerce platforms, Lazada and Shopee, have agreed to comply with the Thai Food and Drug Administration (FDA) by removing unregistered and potentially unsafe food products from their online stores within 24 hours of identification.

FDA Deputy Secretary-General Lertchai Lertwut reported that representatives from Lazada and Shopee recently met with the FDA to discuss measures to protect Thai consumers from uncertified and potentially hazardous foods. Both platforms agreed to promptly remove products lacking FDA registration numbers within the stipulated 24-hour period.

From September of the previous year to September this year, Lazada removed 9,454 non-compliant food items and banned 30 shops for legal violations. Additionally, 134 shops on Lazada have faced legal action for selling illegal food products.

Shopee has committed to educating its sellers about regulations on illegal food items and will actively remove such listings when identified. Both Lazada and Shopee are also working with the FDA to develop an automated system that will integrate with the FDA's database to quickly identify and handle illegal listings.

Lertchai added that the FDA is training officials to use digital tools to collaborate with police and other agencies, enabling swift legal action against sellers of unregistered food products. The FDA is also developing an AI system to proactively scan online platforms for illegal food products.

 

(Based on an article from The Nation)

[hotchilli]

1 hour ago, CharlieH said:

Thailand's two leading e-commerce platforms, Lazada and Shopee, have agreed to comply with the Thai Food and Drug Administration (FDA) by removing unregistered and potentially unsafe food products from their online stores within 24 hours of identification

That's big of them...

[jcmj]

Would be nice if we knew what they banned, and why. Some things are obvious but curious. 🧐 

[worgeordie]

Every week in the UK ,supermarkets ,food producers have recalls on

food products ,because of some contamination in the product ,but

in 36 years of living here I never once have heard of any recall of a

product, 

 

I once bought a tin of Quaker oats , when I went to open it , it was

full of live   weevils ,took it back to the shop ,not easy to get refund,

in those times ,but I did , I had put a mark on the tin , and unsurprisingly

it was back on the shelf the week after...once I bought a 1.5 liter bottle

of Sprite , back home opened it up it was flat ,no fizz at all ,and tasted

funny ,so took it back to the shop along the road , the owner would

not exchange it for me , the reason You have opened it !, but I had

to to find out something was wrong with it , but she was having none

of it...Thai logic , never shopped there again , so she lost a customer

over 18 B, price it was at the time....

 

regards worgeordie

 

[scubascuba3]

Expat stores?

[impulse]

1 hour ago, scubascuba3 said:

Expat stores?

 

That was my first thought...

 

Both platforms agreed to promptly remove products lacking FDA registration numbers within the stipulated 24-hour period.

 

I wonder what is the process and the requirements to get an FDA registration number for (for example) frozen Cumberland Sausage?  I could easily see this as a way to lock out all but the usual dominant Thai companies from selling food online.  At least through those portals.