New Zealand Food Safety says metal fragments found in peanut ingredients triggered the country’s largest food safety recall last year, affecting 27 products across several brands.
The finding is detailed in the Consumer-level Food Recalls Annual Report 2025, released today by New Zealand Food Safety.
The agency coordinated four recalls after a food manufacturer detected wire-like metal fragments in products during routine metal detection checks.
New Zealand Food Safety traced the contamination to sieving equipment used in imported peanut flour and chopped peanuts. The affected batches were tracked through the supply chain, with businesses that had received the ingredients identified and notified.
Exported products containing the affected peanut ingredients also had to be traced, with international authorities alerted as part of the response.
NZFS deputy director-general Vincent Arbuckle says the case was complex, but the risk to the public was minimised through comprehensive action by the food safety team and businesses involved.
No confirmed injuries linked to the recall were reported.
The annual report shows New Zealand Food Safety supported businesses to carry out 57 consumer-level food recalls in 2025, down from 88 recalls in 2024.
However, officials say recall numbers alone do not indicate the level of risk to consumers, as they depend on factors such as how widely a product has been distributed, how it has been used, and how quickly problems are identified and reported.
Of the 57 recalls in 2025, 37 involved domestically produced foods and 20 involved imported foods.
Allergens remained the leading cause of recalls, accounting for 45.6 percent of all consumer-level recalls. There were 26 allergen-related recalls, with milk the most common allergen involved, triggering nine recalls.
Physical contamination accounted for 17 recalls, while biological contamination was responsible for six.
New Zealand Food Safety says recalls are an important part of protecting consumers and maintaining confidence in the country’s food safety system.
Consumers are being encouraged to stay informed by subscribing to food recall alerts through the New Zealand Food Safety food recall page and checking recalled product lists when alerts are issued.
The agency says while food safety incidents remain rare given the volume of food produced, manufactured and imported into New Zealand, fast action is essential when issues occur.
By the numbers
• 57 consumer-level food recalls in 2025
• 26 recalls caused by allergens
• 9 recalls triggered by milk allergens
• 17 recalls caused by physical contamination
• 6 recalls caused by biological contamination
• 37 recalls involved domestically produced foods
• 20 recalls involved imported foods
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#RadioWaatea #FoodSafety #NZFoodSafety #FoodRecall #ConsumerSafety #PeanutRecall #AllergenAwareness #MilkAllergy #PhysicalContamination #FoodNews #Aotearoa #VincentArbuckle #MPI #FoodIndustry #PublicHealth #RecallAlert #FoodStandards #ConsumerProtection #NZNews #SEO
