Shares of Thai Union Public Company Limited (SET: TU) plummeted by 4.3% during the morning session on Monday, November 18, 2024, following a report from the BBC which highlighted a shift in consumer behavior in Wales and England.
The report interviewed a nursery director that said her nurseries are transitioning from tinned tuna to pilchards and mackerel after recent research revealed potentially toxic levels of mercury in tuna.
In late October, a study conducted by campaign organizations Bloom and Foodwatch examined 148 cans of tuna from five European nations, all of which tested positive for mercury contamination. The sampled cans were purchased from France, Germany, England, Spain, and Italy.
Despite these findings, Europêche, the representative body of fishing fleets in the EU, adamantly denied the claims, asserting that the levels of mercury deemed harmful were considerably higher than typical consumption rates.
Currently, both the EU and UK enforce a mercury limit of 1mg/kg in tuna products, which is three times higher than the threshold set for other fish species.
Notably, the leading tinned tuna brand in the UK, John West, a subsidiary of the Thai Union Group, assured consumers of the safety of their tuna products, emphasizing that regular tests over the past three years have consistently met British and European standards for mercury content.
Furthermore, an official from the Thai Union Group informed “Kaohoon International” that recent tests on their products revealed mercury levels significantly below the regulatory limit. The company is awaiting accredited lab results from their European team, having already dispatched all requisite samples for thorough analysis.
