Foodstuffs South Island has been fined $39,000 by the Ministry for Primary Industries after selling hummus products recalled because of the possible presence of salmonella.

In February 2023, a supplier notified the company a batch of tahini used in hummus products returned a positive result for salmonella, resulting in the recall of 82,740 units.

The company was sentenced in the Christchurch District Court on Thursday on one charge under the Food Act 2014 after a successful prosecution.

New Zealand Food Safety deputy director general Vincent Arbuckle said it was a major recall of nearly 83,000 units of hummus products.

“However, Foodstuffs South Island sold 39 of the affected units to consumers. These should have been removed from the shelves to minimise risk,” he said.

“Food recalls are done to protect consumers from potential harm. People rightly expect food businesses to conduct themselves effectively and efficiently.

“On this occasion, there was a significant failure in Foodstuffs South Island’s recall system and the product subject to the recall was distributed to stores for sale to the public.

“While there were no confirmed reports of associated illnesses, we are committed to holding food businesses to account to ensure food recalls go smoothly so that risk to consumers is minimised.”

Arbuckle said the vast majority of food sold in New Zealand was safe.

“Sometimes problems can occur and food businesses need to have in place robust recall systems and test them regularly.”

A Foodstuffs spokesperson told the Herald the company accepted the court-imposed penalty relating to the accidental distribution of recalled hummus products in early 2023.

“Care for our teams, suppliers, customers and communities is what our co-op of family-owned and operated New World, Four Square, Pak’nSave and On the Spot stores live by,” they said.

“Food safety is a responsibility we take extremely seriously, and this incident fell short of our own high standards.”

The spokesperson said Foodstuffs had reviewed its systems and processes, enhanced training and added further rigour around recall procedures and verification steps since the incident.

“We acknowledge the judge’s recognition of the work we have done in these areas.

“We continue to invest in our distribution centres as part of our purpose and commitment to providing safe and reliable food supply for customers and communities in every corner of the South Island.”