More than a dozen butchers around Auckland have been prosecuted for using potentially dangerous additives in raw meat.
The charges were laid following a 2013 operation by the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI), which analysed the level of sulphites and sulphur dioxide in meat sold in the greater Auckland area.
Fifteen wholesalers and retailers and three company directors were prosecuted for non-compliant use of sulphites/sulphur dioxide in raw meat as part of the operation, with fines ranging from $350 to $4500. No major supermarkets or butchery chains were implicated.
The additives are used as a preservative in some foods but are only allowed in specified items due to the health risk to people sensitive to them. They are not legally allowed to be added to raw meat.
"MPI takes food safety very seriously and our Food Act officers put in a great deal of effort to ensure the public can be confident that food available for purchase in New Zealand is safe and suitable," says MPI compliance operations manager Gary Orr.
Beef and Lamb New Zealand has supported the crackdown.
"Make no mistake; there is no room for this type of operator in New Zealand. We take these offences extremely seriously and support MPI's actions," says the company's chief executive, Rod Slater.
"In the main, we find New Zealand retailers and wholesalers are extremely proud of the standards which they are upholding. This behaviour is definitely not the norm and I think you'll find the rest of the industry will be left extremely disappointed," says Mr Slater.
3 News
source: newshub archive
