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Food Recalls for Consumers

Reporting a food product problem

If your concern relates to a food product that you have purchased, please contact a Health Protection Officer at your local District Health Board.

Food Recalls

If a food needs to be withdrawn from sale, because it is unsafe, unfit to eat, or contaminated the following actions can be taken:

• NZFSA issues a statutory recall under the appropriate legislation

• The Company initiates a recall of the product with assistance from NZFSA

• The Company initiates withdrawal of the product with assistance from NZFSA

A recall involves removing unsafe food from the distribution chain extending through to food already sold to consumers, and hence the public needs to be informed. A withdrawal stops at the point at which food is sold to consumers - only suppliers and retailers will be involved.

A statutory recall order or notice (e.g. s40 Food Act) relates to a particular food, supplied by known suppliers (importers, manufacturers or retailers) to whom the recall notice can be directed. Such detailed information is required since the public needs to be able to distinguish between foods that are safe or not safe. A recall advertisement may be published in newspapers where it has been distributed and may also be communicated through the supplier's or retailer's own communication channels (e.g. a point of sale notice). These are recorded on this page.

A company initiated withdrawal is when suppliers remove product from their shelves or storehouses before it has been sold and, therefore, a public advertisement is not needed to alert consumers.

Recalls of Specific Food Products

October 2009

• Sealord Deli Menu Italian Pasta & Tuna (15 October 2009)

August 2009

• Goulds Fine Foods - The Valley Sausage Company Sausage Meat (21 August 2009)
• Value Fries 2kg Hash Browns (14 August 2009)
• Pams 750g Triangle Hash Browns (14 August 2009)
• Tip Top Ice Cream Sundaes (05 August 2009)

Archived recalls

• Hubbards Yours Fruitfully Natural Muesli (16 July 2009)
• Cadbury Old Gold Dark Chocolate 70% Cocoa (12 June 2009)
• Hydroxycut (8 May 2009)
• Naturally Good Deliciously Free Moist Chocolate Mud cake Mix  (18 February 2009)
• Luigi's Ham (13 February 2009)
• ZonePerfect Peanut Toffee Bars (21 January 2009)
• Couplands Bakeries Assorted Savouries  (13 January 2009)
• A Verkerk's Corned Beef (15 December 2008)
• Pam's Maize Cornflour (02 December 2008)
• Sahara & Olive Grove Tahini (5 November 2008)
• Happy Valley Dairies Milk (20 October 2008)
• Recall of Happy Valley Dairies Yogurts    (13 October 2008)
• McCain Stir Fry Vegetables Pasta Alfredo with Sauce (6 October 2008)
• Champion & Edmonds Self-Raising Flour (27 August 2008)
• Weight Watchers Rich Toffee Bars (22 August 2008)
• Anathoth Lemon & Tuscan Herb Vinaigrette  (11 August 2008)
• Yoplait Go-Gurt and Yoplait Smackers  (8 August 2008)
• Recalled Food Products: Clevedon Oysters  23 July 2008
• Pacific Ocean Mackerel in Tomato Sauce 17 June 2008
• Bacchus energy drink [PDF 70K ]
• Privileged Statement: Seeds in Chinese herbal tea may cause illness (08 May 2008
• Reminder about risks from toxic honey (press release 27 March 2008)
• Heller Tasty Ltd Lamb & Mint Sausages (07 March 2008)
• Recalled Food Products Ceres Enterprises Sunflower Seeds (25 February 2008)
• Delmaine Gherkins (29 January 2008)
• Ceres Organic Cereals (17 January 2008)
• Tip Top Ice Cream Cakes (09 January 2008)
• Captain's Choice Fish Cakes (18 December 2007)
• Donovans Chocolate Fudge (4th December 2007)
• Spirulina Power (November 29th 2007)
• Edmonds Sweet Short Pastry (November 28th 2007)
• Allergen Warning MUSASHi Protein Drinks (21 November 2007)
• Delmaine, Pam's, Signature Range (24 October 2007)
• Allergen Warning Hubbards Black Forest Muesli (19 October 2007)
• National Foods Yoplait Elivae (16 October 2007)
• ABE's Real Bagels Ltd (20 September 2007)
• Ritz Bread Crumbs (14 September 2007)
• PEDIGREE and OPTIMUM Dog Rolls (06 September 2007)
• Allergen Warning Trade Aid Chocolate (31 August 2007)
• ME Cucumber & Feta Dip (10 August 2007)
• Santa Rosa Smoked/Cooked Chicken (12 June 07)
• Allergen Warning Signature Range Breakfast Cereal (15 May 2007)
• Allergen Warning Nurture PLUS (23 April 2007)
• Delago Feta Cheeses (16 April 2007)
• Nestle Kit Kats (30 March 2007)
• Turks Smoked Chicken (29 January 2007)
• UK Beef Soups (16 January 2007)
• Brinks Fresh Whole Smoked Chicken (30 December 2006)
• Mooloo Cookies and Cream Ice Cream (15 December 2006)
• Emma-Jane’s Rice Bites (31 October 2006)
• Pasteurised Chilled Whole Egg Pulp  (11 October)
• Halswell New World Chicken Cordon Bleu (03 October 2006)
• Zeagold Hard Cooked Eggs & Egg Spread (28 September 2006)
• Sunbeam Dried Fruits (25 September 2006)
• Stuffed Mutton Forequarter & Stuffed Pork Deli Roast (sliced) (22 September 2006)
• Angas Park & Sunbeam Dried Fruits (14 September 2006)
• Smoked Mussels (04 August 2006)
• Delish Apricot Halves (11 August 2006)
• Coupland Pies (09 August 2006)
• Premier Fine Foods Gourmet Thins Sesame Seed Biscuits (07 August 2006)
• Pam’s Basmati Rice 1kg (01 August 2006)
• Pan Pharmaceuticals (2003)
  Fresh Smoked Kahawai (2003)
• Lead contamination of food (2004)

Frequently asked questions

• How a food product recall works,
• who is involved, and
• how consumers are notified

Food recall statistics

• Total yearly food recalls
• Causes of recalls

NZFSA media releases

Related links

Other sites may contain recall information, for food safety or other reasons are:

Manufactured Food Database – lists of food free of certain allergens.
Allergy NZ – for information on alerts involving food allergies.
Consumers’ Institute of New Zealand – for information on general product recalls.
Ministry of Consumer Affairs – for information on general product recalls.
Medsafe – for information on general product recalls.

_{Page last updated 19 October 2009}