{
  "id": 3939698,
  "title": "Your canned pilchards are safe to eat, says department",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/28/your-canned-pilchards-are-safe-to-eat-says-department",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-28T06:42:52.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Citizen",
    "slug": "the-citizen",
    "url": "https://www.citizen.co.za/news/your-canned-pilchards-are-safe-to-eat-says-department/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "South Africa's canned sardines remain safe for consumption, the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) and the National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications (NRCS) have confirmed. This assertion comes after public concern over the discovery of pilchard herpesvirus (PHV) in wild sardine populations. The virus poses no threat to human health, according to the DFFE, which launched an investigation to understand the virus's impact on wild sardines.\n\nPHV is a disease specific to sardines, also known as pilchards, and does not infect humans or animals. The detection of PHV does not imply that sardines are poisonous, toxic, or infectious to humans or animals. The difference lies in the commercial catch process. Sardines intended for canning are freshly caught and processed in NRCS-approved facilities adhering to strict safety standards.\n\nThe National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications (NRCS) confirms that the heat-treatment employed during canning effectively eliminates viruses, including PHV, and other harmful microorganisms. Therefore, there is no need to cease consuming commercially produced canned sardines.\n\nHowever, the public is strongly cautioned against collecting or eating dead or dying sardines found on beaches. This is not due to the fish being inherently harmful, but rather because there is no way to ascertain how long a stranded fish has been dead. A decomposing sardine may harbor bacteria causing illness, regardless of its external appearance. DFFE and NRCS will continue monitoring sardine mortalities in collaboration with the small pelagic fishing industry and provide updates as they become available.",
  "summary": "'The detection of PHV in sardines does not mean that sardines are poisonous, toxic or that they are infectious to humans or animals.'",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}