It’s not just West Point Processors’ tinned pilchards in tomato sauce that has been recalled, but their pilchards in chilli sauce as well — sold by retailers countrywide under 12 brands, the National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications (NRCS) announced on Monday night.

That’s because the product was “compromised’ on the production line when the sauce was added to the fish in the can, and “therefore could affect the safety of consumers”, the NRCS said.

The affected products include not only the Shoprite group’s house brands, but the Spar house brand pilchards as well, all bearing the production codes ZST29 or ZSC29 on top of the can.

“The problem manifests itself after months of storage, which causes the content of the can to react with the metal of the can,” the NRCS said.

The regulator made no mention of bloating tins.

At the weekend, West Point Processors announced a recall of its pilchards in tomato sauce 400g tins, but was silent about its chilli variant.

Customers who’ve purchased the cans were urged to return them for a refund.