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Lucky star denies involvement in ‘misleading’ pilchard forgery

Lucky star denies involvement in ‘misleading’ pilchard forgery
Lisakanya Venna
By Lisakanya Venna
20 Nov 2024
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‘This is not our product’ — Lucky Star hits back at allegations of counterfeit pilchards with tampered expiration dates packed in Woolworths-branded cartons.

Lucky Star company set the record straight after its brand was implicated in a pilchard forgery scandal following a police raid in Gauteng that uncovered counterfeit pilchards with tampered expiration dates packed in Woolworths-branded cartons.

Last week, South African Police Service (SAPS) raided a facility in Gauteng, resulting in the arrest of seven illegal immigrants aged between 18 and 29 years for tampering with expiration dates on pilchards, sparking a probe into counterfeit operations. The raid uncovered alleged counterfeit Lucky Star pilchards and printing equipment used to alter expiration dates that workers had relabelled expired pilchards from 2021/22 with fake 2026 dates and repacked them in Woolworths-labelled cartons. 

The suspects are now facing charges of safety violations, theft and immigration offences.

Read more: Woolworths launches probe after pilchard forgery uncovered

Lucky Star’s response


Lucky Star  released a statement on Tuesday, 19 November 2024  to note that its "investigators and third-party experts have categorically confirmed this is not our product. The labels are counterfeit and we do not use ring-pull lids on our canned pilchards.

“So far investigations have established that an international manufacturer produced the canned pilchards under the Woolworths brand. The retailer imported and received them but later rejected the consignment and asked the supplier to collect it. After collection, some of the consignment appears to have been intercepted and illegally relabelled as Lucky Star and repacked into the Woolworths-labelled cartons,” the company said.

Lucky Star also pointed out that the SAPS raid and onsite inspection had yielded overwhelming evidence including, but not limited to: label printing machines, easy to open ring-pull cans, other substances and paraphernalia, "which are completely inconsistent with the manufacture of our product and proves beyond doubt that the product seized is not of Lucky Star origin". 

Quality check


To ensure customers are purchasing the original Lucky Star canned pilchards, the company recommended the following steps:

  • Check the quality of the label. Counterfeit goods labelling is generally poorer quality.

  • Check the print clarity. If there is any smudging or colour shifting it could indicate that the product is counterfeit.

  • Check whether the label is misaligned or not properly stuck to the can.

  • Check the unique product code and best before date ink-jetted on the end of the can.

  • Check the clarity and legibility of the bar code.

  • Check the unique, traceable codes printed on the label glue flap.

  • Check pallets for security tape and identity tags.

  • Lucky Star cans do not have ring pull or easy opening lids on canned pilchards.


Woolworths’ investigation


Woolworths confirmed awareness of the police investigation into counterfeit goods on Saturday, 16 November 2024, and announced that it had launched an investigation into the failed collection and disposal of rejected products. 

The retailer believes the product may have been part of an imported shipment rejected due to quality control issues and reiterated its unwavering commitment to food safety, stating that it was its “number one priority”.

Food and health crisis 


This follows the recent food safety crisis in Gauteng and Bloemfontein that tragically resulted in the admission to hospital of more than 40 pupils and the deaths of 22 children, attributed to a highly hazardous chemical used as a pesticide known as Terbufos, in some local “spaza” shops.  In response to this crisis, the president and Cabinet announced swift action, approving urgent measures to address the issue, which include the immediate closure of non-compliant shops, strict regulations on pesticides, and extensive inspections to ensure public safety. DM

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