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.

 

[khunjeff]

2 hours ago, jcmj said:

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

 

They're talking about Chinese products that don't have Thai-language labels attached. And as far as I know, that lack of a Thai label in no way makes the products "unsafe".

 

(By the way, if you've ever read those Thai labels that are affixed to imported products, you'll note that: they're virtually unreadable, due to tiny, poor quality printing; are inaccurate, in that the information on them is different than what was on the original label; and they cover up useful information - like preparation instructions - that was on the original label.)

[treetops]

20 minutes ago, impulse said:

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.

 

I don't think that'll happen.  I don't know the process but Siamburi's Expat Shop in Pattaya mentioned a few days ago that The Farm Place, one of their suppliers, had got all 17 of their products through FDA approval and it's only a month or two since they (Siamburi's) were "raided" by the FDA and closed for a few days which kicked off the process.

 

They also have at least 6 types of Cumberland Sausage still for sale which must be approved.

[redwood1]

I have scrolled through Lazada and Shopee loads and loads of times for 3-4 years now and I have bought many strange Thai foods....And I have NEVER ONCE ever seen a food product that I thought looked unsafe....

 

Not Once.....

 

This whole FDA food thing is emanating a stench......And it not coming from any rotten food....

[Kinnock]

2 hours ago, worgeordie said:

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

 

The only food product recalls I've ever seen in Thailand was a few during the melamine in milk issue, when some baby foods and other milk products were recalled.  

 

Big contrast to US or UK where there's typically 10 or more recalls a day.

[tomazbodner]

Thought my favourite British bakery disappeared for this reason, but now found it elsewhere, so all good (for now) 😄

Edited November 7 by tomazbodner