Your canned pilchards are safe to eat, says department
“This advice is not because the fish are considered inherently harmful, but because there is no way of knowing how long a stranded fish has been dead,” according to the statement.
Canning process kills the virus According to the statement, a clear distinction had to be drawn between commercially caught sardines and those found dead or dying on beaches.
South Africa’s canned sardines remain safe for consumption despite the detection of pilchard herpesvirus (PHV) in wild sardine populations, the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) and the National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications (NRCS) said in a joint statement issued on 27 August 2026.
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