It’s now easier than ever to make a complaint about food products through a new online tool launched by New Zealand Food Safety (NZFS).
The new website features drop-down menus that people can use to give NZFS specific and useful information. It includes guidance on what complaints can be made online and which ones should be sent to a local authority, to help ensure any alerts on food safety risks reach the right contact.
Anyone who completes an online form will be contacted by a food compliance officer who will begin a review and triage process.
“Consumers should feel reassured that whatever the reason, if something unusual has happened or been found, even if it seems a ‘one-off’, their reporting helps keep food consumption safe for everyone,” NZFS deputy director general Vincent Arbuckle said.
NZFS is having another busy year recalling potentially harmful food to keep it out of consumers’ hands. There have been 93 recalls so far this year, and 154 over 2021.
There have been a wide range of reasons for recalls this year, from chocolate with salmonella contamination to plastic pieces discovered in cookies.
Arbuckle said recalls are a sign the system is working to protect people.
“Food businesses do a lot of work to monitor their own systems to make sure everything is working as it should. In addition to this, complaints from the public remain an important way to gather information about potential risks.
“Consumers play an important role in the food safety system – by making a complaint, you are helping to keep your communities safe. If you notice something that isn’t right, we encourage you to let us know so we can get to the bottom of it.
“For the most part, businesses achieve good standards of food safety and work with us to remove any unsafe or non-compliant food to prevent it becoming a bigger issue.”
Access the online tool on the NZFS website.
