Pioneer Foods has announced that they have discontinued South Africa’s favourite fish paste brands – Pecks Anchovette and Redro.
The company chose to stop manufacturing the products in December 2021, and according to a Pioneer spokesperson, the decision was made based on an “ongoing portfolio review”.
“We communicated this to our customers, stopped production and discontinued the sale of related items in December 2021.”
The history of the fish paste brands in South Africa
Pecks Anchovette was originally from the United Kingdom and was created in 1891. And in the 1960s South Africa got its first taste of Pecks. Before that, everyone settled for Redro, which was created in the 1930s from a local family recipe.
And when Pecks arrived and became the preferred fish paste, Redro was downgraded to a “value for money” option.
There might be some hope left for Pecks Anchovette, however, since they still have an international presence, mainly in Australia. But sadly, it seems that it’s the end of the line for Redro, who has been a part of South Africa for nearly a century.
Where to find your fishy guilty pleasure
Pioneer confirmed that once the shelves are empty, there will be no restock from factories.
“Products will therefore remain available for purchase by consumers as long as the retailers have stock on hand. We are in the process of finalising the sale of the related assets/brands to a 3rd party,” the spokesperson confirmed.
If you’re lucky, you might find a jar in a Shoprite or Checkers in the Western Cape. Especially in areas such as De Aar, Upington, and Colesberg. However, according to their online stores, Woolworths and Pick n Pay are already out of stock.
And if you’re in KZN, it seems the closest place where you’ll find any form of fish paste is in Bethlehem, Ermelo, or Secunda.
It seems that the Joburgers are the lucky ones in this case, as both Redro and Pecks can still be found in most stores throughout the city.
