Food safety and food recalls

New Zealand Food Safety (Ministry for Primary Industries), local councils, Public Health UnitsVerified 14 Oct 2026Official pages checked daily

In New Zealand, food that is unsafe, unsuitable to eat or contaminated is recalled. The list of recalls is on the MPI New Zealand Food Safety website. This guide explains how to check for recalls, how to handle food safely at home, the difference between 'use by' and 'best before', and who to contact about food poisoning, foreign objects in food or poor hygiene.

Key facts

Where to check recalls: The Recalled food products list on the MPI website¹
New Zealand Food Safety phone: 0800 008 333²
Use by: About safety: do not eat food after its use by date, as it may make you sick. It is illegal to sell food past its use by date.²
Best before: About quality: food is usually still safe to eat after this date. If it looks and smells fine, it is usually OK. Shops can still sell it, as long as it is safe.²
Fridge temperature: Set between 2°C and 5°C²
Danger zone: Bacteria grow easily between 5°C and 60°C. Do not keep food in this temperature range for more than 2 hours.²
Storing leftovers: Put cooked food in the fridge or freezer as soon as possible, and within 2 hours at the latest. Eat rice dishes and cooked food you eat cold within 2 days. Eat food you will reheat within 4 days.²
Reheating leftovers: Heat until steaming hot (over 75°C), and reheat only once²
When meat is cooked: The centre of the thickest part reaches 75°C for 30 seconds, or 70°C for 3 minutes, or 65°C for 15 minutes²
Allergen labelling: Allergens must be shown in bold in the ingredients list, plus a separate statement starting with 'Contains'³
Suspected food poisoning: Report it to a Health Protection Officer at your local Public Health Unit⁴

Who is this for, and what are the requirements?

Everyone who buys food or cooks at home in New Zealand
People with food allergies and their families
People who think they have food poisoning, or who find something in their food, a wrong label or a shop with poor hygiene, and want to complain

How do I do it? Steps and process

Check if the food is recalled
Check the Recalled food products list on the MPI website. Note: the Product Safety recalls website does not include food. For food recalls, use the MPI food safety website. Each recall notice says what the problem is and what you should do.
Look after your health first
If you feel unwell after eating and think it is food poisoning, see a doctor first. If you have an allergy, follow your allergy action plan and get medical help straight away if needed.
Keep the evidence
Put any leftover food in the fridge or freezer. Do not wash or throw away the packaging. Write down where and when you bought it. Investigators may need these later.
Food poisoning: contact the Public Health Unit
If you think food you bought gave you food poisoning, report it to your local Public Health Unit. If they find evidence that food caused it, they will tell MPI.
Hygiene, foreign objects or labels: contact your council
You can complain to your local council about a food shop or restaurant's hygiene, how food is displayed or stored, food handling, foreign objects in food, food labels, a missing grade certificate, or a business operating without registration. Some food businesses are registered with MPI, and the council will pass these complaints to MPI.
Other food safety issues: call New Zealand Food Safety
If you have a food safety question or want to report a problem, call New Zealand Food Safety on 0800 008 333.

What documents do I need?

Leftover food (kept in the fridge or freezer)
The full food packaging (not washed)
When and where you bought it, and the receipt
Photos (of the foreign object, label, shop hygiene and so on)

What should I watch out for?

Councils usually do not deal with complaints about service, taste or presentation (Auckland Council clearly says it does not handle these). Talk to the business's management directly.
Labels on packaged food must be in English, clear and easy to read. They must show the food's name, the name and physical address of a New Zealand or Australian business, and a lot or batch number (used to trace food in a recall). If you have a food allergy, do not buy food without English information.
Most packaged food with a shelf life under 2 years must have a date mark. Bread with a shelf life under 7 days can show only 'Bkd On' or 'Bkd For' (the baking date).
Allergens that must be labelled are: crustaceans, molluscs, fish, egg, milk, sesame, lupin, peanuts, soy, tree nuts, cereals containing gluten (wheat, barley, oats, rye) and added sulphites.
Food made and packed in the shop (for example, an in-store bakery or deli counter), food sold over the counter, delivered takeaways and food sold at school fundraisers do not need labels. But the business must give you the necessary information, for example on a sign, verbally or in writing.
Keep raw meat on the bottom shelf of the fridge in a leak-proof container, away from cooked food and fruit and vegetables you eat raw. Do not wash raw chicken. Washing it splashes bacteria onto the sink and benches.
Cook chicken, mince, sausages, dumplings and chicken nuggets all the way through so they are not raw in the middle. Whole cuts of beef or lamb, like steaks, only need to be cooked on the outside.
Wash your hands with soap and water, front and back, for 20 seconds, then dry them with a clean towel.
Young children, older people, pregnant women and people with weak immune systems are more likely to get seriously ill from food poisoning. People with weak immune systems should avoid raw milk products, soft cheese that has been stored after opening, cold cut meats, pâté, cold smoked fish and food with raw egg (such as homemade mayonnaise).
If you gather shellfish yourself, choose unpolluted water and look for public health warnings at the beach. Eat shellfish within 2 days of gathering. Cooking does not remove shellfish toxins.

What has changed recently?

2026-02-25
The transition period for the new allergen labelling rules is ending: food packed and labelled under the old rules before 25 February 2024 can only be sold for 2 more years, until 25 February 2026.Source: mpi.govt.nz ↗

Common questions

How do I check if food I bought at the supermarket has been recalled?

Check the Recalled food products list on the MPI website. The Product Safety recalls website does not include food, so use the MPI food safety website for food recalls. Each recall notice says what the problem is and what you should do.

What should I do if food I bought is recalled?

Follow the instructions in the recall notice on the MPI website. Each notice says what the problem is and what you should do. If you feel unwell after eating the food, see a doctor first. If you have an allergy, follow your allergy action plan and get medical help straight away if needed.

What is the difference between 'use by' and 'best before'? Can I eat food after the date?

'Use by' is about safety, and 'best before' is about quality. Do not eat food after its use by date, as it may make you sick. It is illegal to sell food past its use by date. Food is usually still safe to eat after its best before date. If it looks and smells fine, it is usually OK.

How many days can I keep leftovers in the fridge?

Eat rice dishes and cooked food you eat cold within 2 days. Eat food you will reheat within 4 days. Put cooked food in the fridge or freezer as soon as possible, and within 2 hours at the latest. Reheat leftovers until steaming hot (over 75°C), and reheat them only once.

I got sick after eating at a restaurant. Where do I report food poisoning?

Report it to a Health Protection Officer at your local Public Health Unit. See a doctor first if you feel unwell. Keep any leftover food in the fridge or freezer, keep the packaging, and write down where and when you bought it. If the Public Health Unit finds evidence that food caused it, they will tell MPI.

Who do I report to if I find something in my food or see a dirty shop?

Complain to your local council. Councils handle complaints about foreign objects in food, hygiene, food handling, how food is displayed or stored, and food labels. Some food businesses are registered with MPI, and the council will pass these complaints to MPI. Keep the food, the unwashed packaging, the receipt and photos as evidence.

Imported food at an ethnic grocery store has no English label. Is that allowed?

No, labels on packaged food must be in English, clear and easy to read. They must show the food's name, the name and physical address of a New Zealand or Australian business, and a lot or batch number. You can complain about food labels to your local council. If you have a food allergy, do not buy food without English information.

What temperature should my fridge be?

Set your fridge between 2°C and 5°C. Bacteria grow easily between 5°C and 60°C. Do not keep food in this temperature range for more than 2 hours.

Answers are based on the verified content of this page — the official source always prevails.

Where can I check the official information?

Food health and safetyGovt.nz (Department of Internal Affairs) · govt.nz
Food safety at home (booklet, updated May 2025)New Zealand Food Safety (MPI) · mpi.govt.nz
A guide to food labellingNew Zealand Food Safety (MPI) · mpi.govt.nz
Make a complaint about food poisoningGovt.nz (Department of Internal Affairs) · govt.nz
Complaints about a food businessAuckland Council · aucklandcouncil.govt.nz

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