Sasko recalls thousands of bread loaves following the discovery of another rat
Sasko has recalled thousands of loaves of bread after a third individual discovered a dead rat baked into their loaf.
Sasko is in damage control mode after a third consumer reported finding rat remains in a loaf of bread. This incident has led to the recall of nearly 200,000 loaves and a temporary halt in production at their factory.
Earlier this week, the bakery – which falls under Pioneer Foods – came under fire over a viral clip of a Durban woman’s gruesome discovery. In 2020, another social media user claimed the brand “ignored” them after they also discovered a rodent in their baked goods.
ANOTHER WOMAN FINDS DEAD RAT IN BREAD
On TikTok, a woman using the handle @andilemalope_13 shared a clip of her finding a dead rat baked into her Sasko bread.
Unluckily for the woman – whose location was set to Ekhuruleni – the rodent was found in the last few slices of the load, meaning she had digested much of the bread before the discovery.
In the video’s comment section, Sasko posted, “It is unfortunate that some people had to deal with this and witness a traumatic thing. We have issued compensation to everyone who finds rodents in their produce/products.”
It added: “We recalled around 180 000 loaves of bread from all around the area and closed the factory until further notice”.
The account did not specify which areas the bread had been recalled or which factory had been closed.
The South African reached out to Sasko for comment. The company confirmed – via their consumer line – that nearly 200 000 loaves of bread had been recalled, but did not state where. They also stated that it was an ongoing investigation and an official response would be issued in due time.
SASKO ISSUES APOLOGY, HALTS PRODUCTION
Earlier this week, Sasko profusely apologised to a Durban woman, Nombulelo Mkumla, who also found a rat in her loaf of bread.
“I recently bought bread from Spar (Sasko bread) on August 27th. The same day, I made toast after work and ate the bread. The following day, after work, I did the same thing. Then, on the morning of August 31st, I took the bread out of the fridge to make toast and noticed something disgusting and scary. I took a picture and sent it to my friends, and one of them said, ‘Yi mpuku leyo tshomi’ (‘That’s a rat friend’). I was in denial and suggested it might be something else, but the rat scenario made sense – it’s possible the rat got into the bread at the factory, and no one noticed. I went to Spar with the bread, and they advised me to lay a complaint with their supplier directly and gave me the contacts. I sent an email with a video and pictures of the bread to the supplier (Pioneer Foods) on Saturday, August 31st. Someone responded by email, acknowledging receipt of my email on Monday the 2nd of September, and filled out a form stating that the bread had mold. Why would I make a fuss over mold? I responded and gave my description of the complaint. Then, no one said anything until Friday afternoon, September 7th, when a guy from Sasko called me. ‘Ma’am, I am… from Sasko. I am calling regarding your recent experience with our product. I sincerely apologize for what happened to you. It shouldn’t have happened, but you must understand that it gets hot where we bake our products, so things like this are bound to happen.’ Yes, I admit that your bread had a mouse/rat. We are putting measures in place to prevent this from happening again. Don’t worry; it won’t affect you health-wise. This apology made me angrier. Instead of saying sorry, they told me to understand that it gets hot where they bake, and that’s why there was a rat in my bread! Are you a professional doctor? I doubt I will ever eat Sasko products again. This experience has been traumatic and disgusting!”Posted by Nombulelo Mkumla on Sunday 8 September 2024
Sasko added that the production of bread at the facility in question had been halted, however, until the company was “fully satisfied that there is no risk to our consumers”.
It added: “The health and wellbeing of our consumers is of paramount importance to us.
“We take food safety and quality concerns very seriously and are committed to addressing any such issues that may arise thoroughly.”
OFFICIAL SASKO STATEMENTPosted by SASKO on Friday 13 September 2024
In 2020, an X user, @GhettoSoldeir, claimed that they had also found a dead rat in their bread.
The account retweeted the images again this week, adding: “Sasko didn’t respond…so we have been eating rats this whole time. It’s time to boycott Sasko. This is bad”.