Foodstuffs South Island has been fined $39,000 after selling hummus products that had been recalled over possible salmonella contamination in March 2023.
A swathe of tahini and hummus products was recalled two years ago due to possible contamination with tahini from a Turkish manufacturer.
Foodstuffs South Island was sentenced in the Christchurch District Court on one charge under the Food Act, following a successful prosecution.
The company — which supplied Pak N Save, New World and Four Square stores — sold 39 units of the affected hummus, despite the recall involving nearly 83,000 units of product.
New Zealand Food Safety deputy director-general Vincent Arbuckle said the products should have been removed from shelves to minimise risk to consumers.
“Food recalls are done to protect consumers from potential harm. People rightly expect food businesses to conduct them effectively and efficiently,” Arbuckle said.
“On this occasion, there was a significant failure in Foodstuffs South Island’s recall system and product subject to the recall was distributed to stores for sale to the public.”
In February 2023, Foodstuffs South Island had been notified by a supplier that a batch of tahini used in hummus products returned a positive result for salmonella.
This led to several recalls of various products, as any product made using that tahini was considered potentially contaminated.
Arbuckle said there were no confirmed reports of associated illnesses but authorities were committed to holding food businesses to account.
“We are committed to holding food businesses to account to ensure food recalls go smoothly so that risk to consumers is minimised.”
At the time, Foodstuffs said it received a delivery from a supplier of the recalled product and then sent units to South Island stores in error.
Salmonella is a bacterial disease typically transmitted to humans by eating foods contaminated with animal faeces, and impacts the intestinal tract.
Symptoms appear within 12 to 72 hours, and may include abdominal cramps, diarrhoea, fever, headache, nausea and vomiting, according to MPI. Illness usually lasts between four and seven days, but can last for up to 10 days in more severe cases.
