The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has issued a ‘Food Alert for Action’ to make authorities aware that smoked mackerel, catfish, barracuda and tilapia have been processed in an unapproved establishment, trading as Lloyds & Sons.
Investigation at the premises found that Lloyds & Sons was smoking fish products without approval from the competent authority and a remedial action notice has been served.
This means they do not comply with the requirements of Regulation (EC) No 853/2004, which lays down the specific hygiene rules for food of animal origin.
The FSA says that despite investigation, it has not been possible to obtain full distribution details. There is known distribution in some specialist retail establishments in London, but it is possible that distribution may have taken place outside of London.
The products that should be removed from sale, including all ‘best before’ date and all batch codes.
Local authorities in the London area are requested to make contact with relevant retailers and if any of the products are found, to remove them from sale and destroy them. They are also requested to investigate the traceability of the products and provide any information to the FSA.
Other smoked fish products processed by Lloyds &Sons may also be on sale. To help officers to correctly identify the products, an example of a label can be found here.
The FSA says local authorites should report any finding of the implicated products and any traceability information by emailing its Food Incidents team at foodincidents@foodstandards.gsi.gov.uk
