Food recall system at work

NZFS deputy director-general Vincent Arbuckle says their priority is to protect consumers, and these reports help identify trends and find ways to prevent food safety incidents.

“New Zealand’s food safety system has a strong track record of keeping people safe and – given the volumes of food being produced, manufactured and imported – incidences of related illness remain rare.

“However, there are occasions when food safety issues occur, and that’s when we work quickly with food businesses to recall the affected product, removing it from the food supply chain and promoting public awareness.”

The 2023 report shows NZFS supported food businesses to conduct 70 consumer-level food recalls.

“It’s important to note that the number of recalls is not an accurate indicator of the level of risk to consumers. Numbers are dependent on many factors, including regulatory changes, business and public awareness of food-related problems, and reporting of those problems,” says Arbuckle.

Of the 70 recalls, 48 were initiated for domestically produced foods and 22 were for imported foods.

The report identifies Salmonella in imported sesame seed-based products as the most significant food safety event of 2023, resulting in 14 recalls affecting 65 food products.

Another food safety event to highlight from 2023 was the possible presence of Listeria and Campylobacter in raw milk, which led to three recalls.

“Drinking raw milk carries inherent risks as it may contain harmful bacteria that would normally be killed through the pasteurisation process,” notes Arbuckle.

“In this case, there were fortunately no associated reports of Listeriosis, which can be very serious for vulnerable people like the very young, pregnant, older and those with low immunity. But we were notified of three related cases of Campylobacter, which causes vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain, fever, headache, and body aches.”

Allergens in food were the leading cause for recalls in 2023, with milk being the allergen that triggered the most recalls.

“Food recalls are a sign that our food safety system is working to protect consumers,” says Arbuckle.

By the numbers:

• 70 consumer-level recalls in 2023
• 48 recalls for domestically produced foods
• 22 recalls for imported foods
• 26 recalls for allergens (the leading cause for recalls)
• 12 recalls for milk (the allergen triggering the most recalls)
• 23 recalls due to microbiological contamination
• 14 recalls due to physical contamination