18 APRIL 2018
FOOD RECALLS
MUST EDUCATE
Retail-level food recalls in New Zealand have,
for the first time, eclipsed that of Australia. Food
Standards Australia New Zealand board member
Jane Lancaster of Christchurch says the numbers
are perplexing and lessons need to be learned.
In March 2017, news of the huge meat scandal
in Brazil came to the fore. This was fraud on
a grand scale: 21 big companies intentionally
exporting worldwide product that was contaminated
with illegal bacteria, chemicals or adulterants.
Whilst New Zealand and Australia have had
food recalls which have attracted widespread and
damaging publicity, most food recalls are more
manageable. However, all food recalls, whatever
their cause and scope, are opportunities for learning
for a company.
What the numbers tell us
Retail level food recalls undertaken by food companies
are collated in Australia by Food Standards
Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) and in New Zealand
by the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI),
and the information is published in summary
form on their respective websites. Categories are