New Zealand Food Safety is investigating a series of sugar recalls at supermarkets due to lead contamination, noting that NZ Sugar had given incorrect information to supermarkets which caused the sugar to be put on shelves.
The contaminated sugar has been recalled four times in the last two months across both Countdown and Foodstuffs South Island, said New Zealand Food Safety deputy director general Vincent Arbuckle.
“While the risk from consuming this sugar is low, we have concerns about the way this recall has unfolded,” Arbuckle said.
“We expect businesses to run recalls smoothly in the interests of food safety, and that has clearly not happened here. To that end, we have started an investigation to identify any issues the businesses’ recall process.
“These are big companies, and we need to ensure their recall systems remain effective so that these types of incidents do not recur.”
According to Arbuckle, the NZFS is now working on a series of further regulatory requirements around food recalls in order to strengthen recall systems and traceability.
Countdown owner Woolworths New Zealand said it takes food safety very seriously, and apologised for any inconvenience caused by the recalls. The latest recall was issued after stock that should have been part of an earlier recall was mistakenly dispatched from its distribution centre to stores.
