Pattaya officials inspected seafood stalls at Lan Po Market after complaints about scrawny crabs.
Deputy Mayor Manote Nongyai and consumer-protection officials inspected stocks of blue swimming crabs which shoppers complained were being sold at high prices only to discover they had virtually no meat on them after cooking.
The frozen crabs were selling at almost 400 baht a kilogram, much higher than live crabs, leaving shoppers suspecting a shell game.
Indeed, when Manote visited, the prices for fresh and frozen crustaceans were nearly identical. Most residents buy live crabs, not frozen, which usually are hawked to tourists who don’t know any better.
The deputy mayor said both live and frozen crabs are permissible to sell, but consumers should educate themselves on how to select the best ones. Officials instructed vendors to clearly mark and describe all their products.
