Thai Authorities Shut Down Bogus Fish Sauce Factory

[webfact]

Bogus fish sauce factory shut down

By The Nation

SING BURI: -- The Public Health Ministry has closed the Boontheung factory in Sing Buri for producing bogus fish sauce and told public health offices nationwide to conduct random checks on factories producing food products as well inform consumers about their rights.

Public Health Minister Jurin Laksanawisit told the press yesterday that after receiving complaints, authorities checked to find that the 10worker facility was operating without a licence, and hence seized products worth Bt7 million as well as its machinery. Samples have been collected for lab tests. The authorities reportedly closed the same factory eight times earlier for the lack of licence and substandard goods, he added.

Food and Drug Administration chief, Dr Pipat Yingseri, said the agency had provincial public health officials conduct random checks on food factories at least once a year. He has urged the public to call the 1556 hotline or email [email protected] if they find any food or health product to be substandard or have exaggerated advertising.

-- The Nation 2010-05-28

[newsfooter][/newsfooter]

[laocowboy2]

Perhaps there should be a (read only?) thread entitled "Recent Scams" to take our minds off the rather more depressing topics dominating coverage of Thailand at present?

One observation about scams however (and I have been on the wrong end of a couple in my time) is that all too often the same amount of time, money, ingenuity and sales effort put in by the scammers would have actually yieled more revenue if devoted to a legitimate enterprise.

[PoorSucker]

The authorities reportedly closed the same factory eight times earlier for the lack of licence and substandard goods, he added.

So, how much in envelope?

[daoyai]

I wonder if the bogus fish sauce was made from bogus fish.

[chadintheusa]

I wonder if the bogus fish sauce was made from bogus fish.

Maybe they were fake fish

[sukhumvitlegend]

I hear the Bogus fish is quite popular in Japan

[brahmburgers]

It might have been ok quality fish sauce (if there is such a thing), or maybe even better quality than the competition. With 7 million $$'s of equipment, they should be able to make a pretty good product from putrefied fish remains (isn't that what fish sause is, with some water and MSG added?).

Methinks there are one or more competitors who don't like the new kid on the block. With 7 million to invest, why couldn't they get a permit to make the stuff?

If people with fish products really want to make some money, they should consider processing for pharma quality fish oil. The fish oil biz, as a health supplement, is taking off like hot cakes in the States and Europe. It's a must-have for the rich and famous. I should know, as I rub shoulders with them all the time (ha ha).

Edited May 28, 2010 by brahmburgers

[MAJIC]

Perhaps there should be a (read only?) thread entitled "Recent Scams" to take our minds off the rather more depressing topics dominating coverage of Thailand at present?

One observation about scams however (and I have been on the wrong end of a couple in my time) is that all too often the same amount of time, money, ingenuity and sales effort put in by the scammers would have actually yieled more revenue if devoted to a legitimate enterprise.

Absolutely.

Fish Sauce sells for at least 10 times more in my Country than it does in Thailand,with such a obviously huge profit

margin it does not need to be of inferior quality.

[Randee]

I wonder what made them suspicious that it was bogus? Hmm maybe they smelled a rat.

[Bakseedaa]

The authorities reportedly closed the same factory eight times earlier for the lack of licence and substandard goods, he added.

So, how much in envelope?

Definately something "Fishy " about this post..!!!!

[Garry]

I hear the Bogus fish is quite popular in Japan

I hear it also needs a Bogus chef to cook. How many of them have I met in my lifetime

[paulandmaneerat]

Definitely something fishy about this story ..........................

P&M

[paulandmaneerat]

dam_n, somebody beat me to it.

P&M

[kimincm]

This is headline news???????????????????????????????????????

[Garry]

This is headline news???????????????????????????????????????

You're in the land of a fish sauce consuming population, including myself. It is big news for Thai's and consumers alike

[Randee]

This is headline news???????????????????????????????????????

You're in the land of a fish sauce consuming population, including myself. It is big news for Thai's and consumers alike

i love the taste and the salty flavour it adds

but i'm allergic to it! my hands swell up and itch like crazy. i've only just discovered it was that what was doing it ...

[tgw]

Someone please explain to me what about the factory or its products was "Bogus" ??

[nakachalet]

Someone please explain to me what about the factory or its products was "Bogus" ??

that same brand appears on shelves of both makro and lotus....

not reading the original thai text.... the bogus probably applies to the factory without a proper license to produce.... LOL

[Loaded]

A fish sauce factory story after all the recent problems in Thailand is like a breath of fresh air.

[canopy]

As many know, honey in Thailand tends to be nothing more than sugar water. My understanding is fish sauce tends to be fake as well, though not sure what the substitutes are; I would guess cheap soy sauce with a chemical flavor additive. Some fish sauce labels make a point of stating genuine (eg: แท้!), but like honey I doubt it really means anything. This could explain why fish sauce is so cheap. It's all about making a cheap product these days, not a genuine one and I don't think the average consumer really cares.

[brahmburgers]

This is headline news???????????????????????????????????????

You're in the land of a fish sauce consuming population, including myself. It is big news for Thai's and consumers alike

i love the taste and the salty flavour it adds

but i'm allergic to it! my hands swell up and itch like crazy. i've only just discovered it was that what was doing it ...

That salty flavor you taste is added salt and MSG (monosodium glutamate or 'pom churot' in Thai). That's a large part of what all the dark colored sauces are at the shops and supermarkets. Few fish have salty taste. The sauces are basically fermented fish entrails, with water and a whole lot of MSG and salt added. If you saw the inner workings of any fish sauce makers, you'd probably swear off the stuff for life. Welcome to Thailand.

Soy sauce is a bit of fermented soy bean, with black coloring, water, and MSG/salt added. Kikoman (from Japan) is comparatively better quality soy sauce, but still has additives. I won't allow MSG in my house. Last year, there was a wedding reception here, and fourteen women (mostly hill tribe, with some Thai) were getting started on the prodigious cooking chores. I saw took two packets of MSG and, with them all watching, I opened them and poured them in the waste can. The looks on their faces were precious.

I haven't heard of anyone being allergic to MSG, but you might check it out. There's a simple way to test for allergens. Take a clean razor and nick your skin, then rub a tiny bit of the item on. If it gets pink (like a pimple) and/or itchy, it probably causes an allergic reaction within your body.

[way2muchcoffee]

This is headline news???????????????????????????????????????

You're in the land of a fish sauce consuming population, including myself. It is big news for Thai's and consumers alike

i love the taste and the salty flavour it adds

but i'm allergic to it! my hands swell up and itch like crazy. i've only just discovered it was that what was doing it ...

That salty flavor you taste is added salt and MSG (monosodium glutamate or 'pom churot' in Thai). That's a large part of what all the dark colored sauces are at the shops and supermarkets. Few fish have salty taste. The sauces are basically fermented fish entrails, with water and a whole lot of MSG and salt added. If you saw the inner workings of any fish sauce makers, you'd probably swear off the stuff for life. Welcome to Thailand.

Soy sauce is a bit of fermented soy bean, with black coloring, water, and MSG/salt added. Kikoman (from Japan) is comparatively better quality soy sauce, but still has additives. I won't allow MSG in my house. Last year, there was a wedding reception here, and fourteen women (mostly hill tribe, with some Thai) were getting started on the prodigious cooking chores. I saw took two packets of MSG and, with them all watching, I opened them and poured them in the waste can. The looks on their faces were precious.

I haven't heard of anyone being allergic to MSG, but you might check it out. There's a simple way to test for allergens. Take a clean razor and nick your skin, then rub a tiny bit of the item on. If it gets pink (like a pimple) and/or itchy, it probably causes an allergic reaction within your body.

I had a childhood allergy to MSG. It was one of the main causes of the migraines that plagued me in my youth but have mostly disappeared as an adult.

[SomTumTiger]

Fish Sauce - YUCK

[adad]

This is headline news???????????????????????????????????????

You're in the land of a fish sauce consuming population, including myself. It is big news for Thai's and consumers alike

i love the taste and the salty flavour it adds

but i'm allergic to it! my hands swell up and itch like crazy. i've only just discovered it was that what was doing it ...

That salty flavor you taste is added salt and MSG (monosodium glutamate or 'pom churot' in Thai). That's a large part of what all the dark colored sauces are at the shops and supermarkets. Few fish have salty taste. The sauces are basically fermented fish entrails, with water and a whole lot of MSG and salt added. If you saw the inner workings of any fish sauce makers, you'd probably swear off the stuff for life. Welcome to Thailand.

Fish entrails? What are you talking about? Where have you seen this before?

[Bottlerocket]

...if they find any food or health product to be substandard or have exaggerated advertising.

<deleted>?!?! Like every single product on television and in print in this country? Whatever.

[avidflyer]

I can assure you that the fish used were not bogus. However, they were copies.

[selftaopath]

Perhaps there should be a (read only?) thread entitled "Recent Scams" to take our minds off the rather more depressing topics dominating coverage of Thailand at present?

One observation about scams however (and I have been on the wrong end of a couple in my time) is that all too often the same amount of time, money, ingenuity and sales effort put in by the scammers would have actually yieled more revenue if devoted to a legitimate enterprise.

Is "scamming" a way of life or culture? Welcome to Land of Scams (LOS).

[toenail]

To make Bogus fish sauce, just get some sweaty socks and drain some water through them, and that is the bogus fish sauce.

[Randee]

This is headline news???????????????????????????????????????

You're in the land of a fish sauce consuming population, including myself. It is big news for Thai's and consumers alike

i love the taste and the salty flavour it adds

but i'm allergic to it! my hands swell up and itch like crazy. i've only just discovered it was that what was doing it ...

That salty flavor you taste is added salt and MSG (monosodium glutamate or 'pom churot' in Thai). That's a large part of what all the dark colored sauces are at the shops and supermarkets. Few fish have salty taste. The sauces are basically fermented fish entrails, with water and a whole lot of MSG and salt added. If you saw the inner workings of any fish sauce makers, you'd probably swear off the stuff for life. Welcome to Thailand.

Soy sauce is a bit of fermented soy bean, with black coloring, water, and MSG/salt added. Kikoman (from Japan) is comparatively better quality soy sauce, but still has additives. I won't allow MSG in my house. Last year, there was a wedding reception here, and fourteen women (mostly hill tribe, with some Thai) were getting started on the prodigious cooking chores. I saw took two packets of MSG and, with them all watching, I opened them and poured them in the waste can. The looks on their faces were precious.

I haven't heard of anyone being allergic to MSG, but you might check it out. There's a simple way to test for allergens. Take a clean razor and nick your skin, then rub a tiny bit of the item on. If it gets pink (like a pimple) and/or itchy, it probably causes an allergic reaction within your body.

ok thanks

after reading this i wont do the allergy check, i'll just accept that im allergic and be thankful!

so "nam blah" is actual "nam MSG + entrails etc" eewwwwww

[Randee]

I can assure you that the fish used were not bogus. However, they were copies.