Fourth sugar recall prompts New Zealand Food Safety investigation

Thursday, 9 December 2021

An investigation has been launched after a fourth recall of sugar from Countdown supermarkets. (File photo)

An investigation has been launched after a fourth recall of sugar from Countdown supermarkets on Wednesday.

The recall applies to about 8000 packets of Woolworths raw sugar, previously recalled because of the potential for low level lead contamination.

In a statement, New Zealand Food Safety (NZFS) deputy director general Vincent Arbuckle said NZ Sugar had provided incorrect information to supermarkets which resulted in them releasing the sugar to consumers.

“The product was initially recalled on November 4. Two further recalls followed in November as a result of Woolworths NZ and Foodstuffs South Island releasing the product in error,” Arbuckle said.

**READ MORE:

Several brands of sugar were recalled last month.

* Countdown mistakenly sells recalled sugar, prompting a re-recall

* Foodstuffs mistakenly releases contaminated sugar

* NZ Sugar announces recall of raw, soft brown sugar over lead contamination

“Our experts have assessed the risk to the be low based on the levels of lead detected in the sugar and the potential exposure for consumers.”

The products affected by the latest recall are:

Woolworths 500g Raw Sugar (lot codes 21270 through to 21306)
Woolworths 1kg Raw Sugar (lot codes 21270 through to 21306).

While the risk from consumer the sugar was low, NZFS had concerns about the way the recall had 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 within the businesses’ recall process. As part of this we are asking all companies involved for copies of their records.”

The errors by the companies involved were isolated incidents and did not reflect on the food recall system as a whole, he said.

Further regulation around food recalls was being worked on and would strengthen recall systems and improve traceability.

“However, these are big companies and we need to ensure their recall systems remain effective so that these types of incidents do not recur.”

More information on the recall is available on the MPI website. Anyone who has bought the affected products should return them to the place of purchase for a refund.

“We consider the risk to be low, but if anyone has health concerns, they should consult their doctor,” Arbuckle said.