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Te Pou Oranga Kai O Aotearoa

 
 

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If a food needs to be withdrawn from sale, because it is unsafe, unfit to eat, or contaminated the following actions can be taken: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

August 2009

Archived recalls

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

All information on this website is subject to a disclaimer.
Contact for enquiries

New Zealand Food Safety Authority
68-86 Jervois Quay
PO Box 2835
Wellington
NEW ZEALAND

Phone: +64 4 894 2500
Fax: +64 4 894 2501

Contact NZFSA about this page