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. Sesame seeds were imported from India and distributed to up to 150 businesses.
Risk assessments considered the intended use of sesame seeds and whether processing was adequate to ensure the microbiological risk was managed. In total, 27 product types were associated with 15 recalls.
“Thanks to the swift action of the team at New Zealand Food Safety, risk to the public was minimized. It was complex and meticulous work, involving testing and tracing potentially affected sesame seeds through the domestic market,” said New Zealand Food Safety Deputy Director General Vincent Arbuckle.
“As a result of these efforts potentially affected product was identified and removed from shelves. In total there were 15 related recalls where the seeds were used, including as ingredients in other products. Most importantly there were no confirmed reports of related illness. The rules for imported sesame seeds are currently being reviewed.”
Reading recall numbers
New Zealand Food Safety helped businesses conduct 88 consumer-level food recalls. Of these, 56 were for domestically produced foods and 32 were for imported foods. In 2023, there were 70 recalls. Businesses can also undertake trade-level recalls to remove affected products from distribution.
Arbuckle said the amount of recalls is not an accurate indicator of the level of risk to consumers.
“Numbers are dependent on many factors, including regulatory changes, business and public awareness of food-related problems, and reporting of those problems,” he said.
Allergens were the leading cause of actions in 2024, with 40 alerts. Gluten triggered the most recalls with 12. Microbiological contamination was behind 29 recalls and 10 were because of physical hazards.
Sixteen Salmonella recalls were because of Salmonella Escanaba, Salmonella Amersfoort, Salmonella Lexington, and Salmonella Mbandaka. Listeria monocytogenes was behind four recalls, Campylobacter for three, and Bacillus cereus for two.
The presence of undeclared or incorrectly declared allergens following the mispacking or mislabeling of products resulted in 11 recalls and gluten in imported fennel powder led to four recalls.
Fruits and vegetables were recalled 27 times, mixed foods 22 times and dairy products eight times. Mixed foods include filled rolls, sandwiches, jelly, sauces, toppings, soup bases, sushi, pies, pizzas and meals.
In April 2024, New Zealand Food Safety advised people not to consume a brand of unpasteurized, raw fruit juice as the company behind the products was not registered. There were no reports of illness connected to Our Fruit Box drinks.
In another case, the National Public Health Service reported 14 cases of illness, five of which were confirmed to be norovirus. An investigation identified oysters as a common food source, and a consumer-level recall was initiated.
New Zealand Food Safety was also notified of two confirmed cases of campylobacteriosis. The two sick people consumed raw milk, and as a result, the raw milk operator issued a recall.
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