Ocean Basket grilled over angelfish posing as hake

28 September 2016 - 16:10 By TMG Digital
subscribe Just R20 for the first month. Support independent journalism by subscribing to our digital news package.
Subscribe now

South Africa’s popular Ocean Basket seafood chain has apologised and vowed to take corrective action after complaints about fishy ingredients on its children’s menu.

Cape Town businessman Osman Parker raised a red flag this week when he complained that his children had been served angelfish instead of hake fingers at various restaurants in the chain in the Western Cape.

He claimed that managers had admitted to using angelfish and his wife was concerned about possible allergic reactions.

Affected restaurants were at the V&A Waterfront‚ N1 City‚ Canal Walk‚ Vangate Mall and a recent flower festival in Vredenburg.

Ocean Basket marketing executive Jean Sloane offered an explanation to CapeTalk radio on Wednesday as to how angelfish could have ended up on their plates.

She said that angelfish – which is served on the main menu and in platters – was purchased whole and filleted by the franchises‚ leaving about 50% waste per fish.

  • Experience is Ocean Basket's Chinese takeaway, not greedSeafood restaurant chain Ocean Basket's expansion plans over the next few years could include opening outlets in China. 

“It does not happen often‚ I’ve chatted to all the franchisees. It might have happened that they don’t want to throw away that off-cut for food waste‚ they have taken that‚ put it in a batter and served it…. It’s obviously something that shouldn’t be happening because we advertise it as hake.”

She apologised and said corrective action would be taken to ensure it did not happen‚ or alternatively customers were offered angelfish instead of hake on the children’s menu.

She said genuine hake was offered on the main menu. “We’ve been selling it for 20 years‚ it’s the ocean basket famous fish and chips. People know exactly what hake is – lovely flaky fish.”

It’s not the first‚ nor will it be the last time consumers have questioned what they are eating.

Sunday Times reader Daniel Rossouw‚ a retired banker in Cape Town‚ had an encounter last month with a pre-baked pie made of chicken mince that was‚ to all intents and purposes‚ promoted‚ packaged and sold as a steak pie.

  • Power Report: Is it a cow? Is it a bird? No, it's a steak-flavoured chicken pie! I'm no advertising guru. I have nothing on the illustrious creatives and strategists who descended on my home town of Durban for the industry's annual awards fest this weekend. 

Consumer columnist Megan Power discovered that RCL Foods - which owns Rainbow Chicken - had launched a new range of Pieman's pies for the "budget conscious" consumer‚ made with chicken mince.

RCL pointed out that it used the word "flavour" after the steak description.

- TMG Digital

subscribe Just R20 for the first month. Support independent journalism by subscribing to our digital news package.
Subscribe now