An investigation of illnesses in New Zealand has revealed they were at least partially linked to a food establishment and food handlers.
Scientists investigated a cluster of 25 patients without recent travel history from Hutt Valley health district who had multilocus sequence type 131 OXA-48–producing E. coli from August
Continue Reading Food handler link in New Zealand outbreak
New Zealand recorded an increase in recalls in 2024 with a major incident involving Salmonella in sesame seeds.
The recall of imported sesame seeds with the potential to cause salmonellosis was the biggest food safety event of the year. Salmonella was detected during routine testing by a New Zealand business.
Continue Reading New Zealand saw recalls rise in 2024
Slovakia, New Zealand and Lithuania have issued separate warnings about the dangers of Listeria monocytogenes.
In Slovakia, a regional public health agency informed a local food administration about the death of an elderly man, which may have been caused by the consumption of sheep cheese purchased at a farm in
Continue Reading Three nations sound Listeria warnings
A group of meat processing companies, directors, and managers have been fined for illegally altering exported tallow for profit, following an investigation by New Zealand Food Safety.
Tuakau Proteins, Taranaki By-Products, Wallace Proteins, Stephen Dahlenburg, Paul Drake, Glenn Smith, Glenninburg Holdings, and SBT Group, were sentenced on various charges under
Continue Reading Whistleblower information leads to fines for meat firms
A woman in New Zealand has been fined for selling food that had been recalled.
In November 2024, Xinchen Liu, the owner of Samurai Bowl on Colombo Street in Christchurch, pleaded guilty to one charge under the Food Act for trading food that was subject to a recall. The action
Continue Reading Action taken in New Zealand food recall; fines imposed in illegal slaughter cases
New Zealand Sugar Company has been fined for manufacturing, distributing and selling sugar products that were contaminated with lead during transport.
In November and December 2021, the company, trading as Chelsea Sugar, recalled thousands of packs of sugar because of potential low lead levels.
Two other product recalls were needed
Continue Reading New Zealand firm fined in lead contaminated sugar case
An Auckland food producer has been fined for failing to keep production records on four occasions.
Soma & Sons, which trades as Tasty Foods, and manager Bhavesh Soma were sentenced this week in Auckland District Court on two charges under the Food Act, following a prosecution by New Zealand Food
Continue Reading New Zealand business fined for failure to keep proper food safety records
European auditors have identified a potential conflict of interest risk related to the monitoring of bivalve mollusks in New Zealand.
The audit by DG Sante took place remotely and onsite in April and May 2024 to evaluate the control system for live bivalve mollusks.
New Zealand has 68 classified growing
Continue Reading EU auditors find conflict of interest risk in New Zealand audit
Clostridium perfringens has been confirmed as the cause of more than 100 students falling ill at a university in New Zealand.
Health New Zealand and the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) investigated the outbreak among pupils at the University of Canterbury’s University Hall in Christchurch. Students fell ill a few
Continue Reading Clostridium perfringens behind illness at New Zealand University
New Zealand recorded a mixed picture of foodborne infections in 2023, with some going down but others rising.
A report from the Institute for Environmental and Scientific Research (ESR) showed that Campylobacter and Salmonella cases increased while Listeria and E. coli infections declined in 2023.
Data comes from EpiSurv
Continue Reading New Zealand reveals 2023 foodborne illness data