Sausage sickener: Harmful benzoic acid traced to Nakhon Pathom factory
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is investigating a meat-processing factory in Nakhon Pathom after finding illegal levels of the preservative benzoic acid in its products.
Excessive intake of benzoic acid causes diarrhoea, abdominal pain and other symptoms.
The investigation was launched after health officials detected illegal levels of the chemical in samples of four products – including fishballs and sausages – on sale at a shop in Rayong province.
The shop owner said the tainted products came from Tangchareon Seafood Processing Ltd, a wholesaler in Samut Sakhon’s Mueang district.
The wholesaler told officials that the products originated from a factory run by “Mr Pick” in Muang district, Nakhon Pathom.
FDA and local health officials raided the factory on March 28 and found it had no licence, did not meet the Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) standard, and used fraudulent labelling.
Nakhon Pathom health officials collected samples for analysis from the factory, where operations were halted pending legal action.
Separately, the FDA also inspected sausage and meatball vendors in Muang and Phutthamonthon districts in Nakhon Pathom. They found 10 products were incorrectly labelled and said they would investigate the manufacturer. The vendors were advised to stop selling the mislabelled products.
The FDA also urged consumers to buy from reliable vendors and choose food products that carried labels with registration numbers.