The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) has issued a recall of peaches imported from the US, amid fears they could contain Salmonella enteritidis.
The peaches in question are unbagged yellow flesh Prima and Sweet Value brand peaches imported from California. They were supplied by Prima Wawona and sold at supermarkets, fresh fruit and vegetables retailers and selected grocery stores in the North Island.
MPI said the peaches were sold between July 10 and August 25 and have green fruit stickers attached with PLU numbers of 4044 and 4038.
A full list of the stores where the peaches were sold can be found here.
Anyone who has bought the peaches is urged to throw them out and not eat them.
Symptoms from Salmonella enteritidis include diarrhoea, fever and stomach cramps, which can come on anytime from between six hours and six days after becoming infected with the bacteria.
"If anyone is concerned that they might have eaten these peaches and they've got symptoms like this then we're encouraging people to seek medical advice," Melinda Sando, a spokesperson for MPI, told Newshub.
The illness usually lasts from four to seven days and most people recover without treatment, but the bacteria can have a serious effect on children under five years old, adults over 65 and people with weakened immune systems.
So far, no reported cases of Salmonella enteritidis linked to the peaches have been reported in New Zealand.
The United States' Centres for Disease Control and Prevention earlier this week reported 68 cases of infection linked to the peaches across nine states.
