Foodstuffs South Island has been ordered to pay a NZ$39,000 ($A34,000) fine after continuing to sell hummus that should have been pulled from shelves following a recall over potential Salmonella contamination.
The sentence was handed down in the Christchurch District Court after NZ Food Safety filed a charge under the Food Act 2014.
“While there were no confirmed reports of associated illnesses, we are committed to holding food businesses to account to ensure food recalls go smoothly so that risk to consumers is minimised,” said FSNZ deputy director-general Vincent Arbuckle, commenting on the court ruling.
The hummus supplier alerted Foodstuffs South Island to the recall in February 2023 after tahini used in the products tested positive for Salmonella, prompting multiple related product recalls.
“This was a major recall of nearly 83,000 units of hummus products. However, Foodstuffs South Island sold 39 of the affected units to consumers. These should have been removed from shelves to minimise risk,” said Arbuckle.
“Food recalls are done to protect consumers from potential harm. People rightly expect food businesses to conduct them effectively and efficiently.”
Arbuckle described the incident as “a significant failure” in Foodstuffs South Island’s product recall system.
NZFS noted that while the vast majority of food sold in New Zealand is safe, sometimes problems can occur. “Food businesses need to have in place robust recall systems and test them regularly.”
Information on how food companies can do this is available on the NZFS website.
