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Product Advice

This section contains safety advice about specific food products and miscellaneous food safety topics such as reusing plastic bottles, preparing a hangi safely, general hand hygiene information etc.

Recalls

Recalls for both Consumers and Manufacturers now has its own section on the front page menu. Go to the new Recalls home page from here

Advice

Authority advice on Olive-Pomace Oil
The Director of Processed Foods and Retail Sale of the New Zealand Food Safety Authority, Jim Sim, today advised the public not to consume any olive-pomace oils purchased before December 2001 because the products are likely to contain high levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).

Enterobacter sakazakii infections in premature babies
Advice for parents regarding infant formula from the Ministry of Health and NZFSA.

Folate/Folic acid and pregnancy
Folate/folic acid is important for women who are pregnant or planning a pregnancy, to reduce the risk of their baby developing a neural tube defect such as spina bifida.

Fact sheet - Food labelling and food advertising
What's the difference between a food label and advertising? What is allowed on a food label? Can health claims be made?

Food tampering
Information for consumers or retailers concerned over possible food tampering.

Freezing and thawing food

Frequently Asked Questions
This factsheet answers some of the common questions on concerns or complaints about food or a food premise, chemicals in food, and labels on food products. 

Gloves
It may be reassuring to see food handlers wearing gloves but this doesn’t always mean your food is being prepared hygienically. This fact sheet busts some of the common misconceptions about the use of gloves, and emphasises the need for hand washing.

Important information for consumers of Roquefort cheese.
A point-of-sale flyer to inform consumers about the risks that Roquefort cheese poses for some people.

Guidance for Preparing Infant Formula Safely
We offer the following advice on preparing and handling infant formula to keep your baby safe from foodborne illness.

Lumps and other defects in meat
Finding a lump or defect in meat is a very rare occurrence because of the rigorous meat inspection process, but nevertheless, some get through. This fact sheet outlines some reasons why defects may be found in beef, pork, farmed deer (venison) and sheep meat and what you should be aware of if you find one.

Raw milk cheeses - food safety
Raw milk products may soon be more generally available in New Zealand, under a proposal to allow direct importation of the soft raw milk cheese Roquefort from France, and some raw milk hard grating cheeses from Italy.

Raw milk cheeses - food safety risks
A leaflet designed for health professionals to give to their clients.

Reuse of Plastic Bottles
Information on safe reuse of plastic water and soft drink bottles.

Safe cooking of meat
Some meats are safe to eat rare or raw, while others need longer/hotter cooking to destroy any pathogens (bugs) such as Campylobacter and Salmonella that may be present. Careful handling can reduce the risk of illness.

Slow cookers and crock pots
Crock pots and slow cookers are designed to cook food at a low temperature for several hours. With careful food handling and preparation combined with the safe cooking temperatures and times, you can reduce the risk of getting sick from pathogens in slow cooked food.

Trans fatty acids
Trans fatty acids – also known as trans fats – are formed when liquid vegetable oils are partially hydrogenated or ‘hardened’ for use as spreads such as margarine, cooking fats for deep-frying, and shortening for baking. Low levels of trans fatty acids are also found naturally in meat and milk.

Vitamin K and warfarin medication
People using warfarin (blood thinning) medications need to keep the amount of vitamin K from foods and supplements in their diet constant.

Further information on Food Safety:

'At home and shopping - Your Guide to Food Safety' fact sheet from the Victorian Department of Human Services food safety website. The webpage also contains download versions of the fact sheet in English and 23 other languages. http://www.health.vic.gov.au/foodsafety/home/athome.htm