New Zealand kiwifruit distributor Zespri has implemented a precautionary hold on fruit potentially compromised at a Chinese packing house, the company confirmed.

Senior communications adviser Rachel Lynch emphasized in an email response that none of the lots in questions have left Zespri facilities.

“All potentially affected product is on hold in Zespri’s inventory,” Lynch emphasized in an email response.

“NONE of it is with our customers or consumers. We're waiting on test results to help decide how to manage this inventory with consumer safety as our top priority.”

The company clarified that small deposits of mechanical lubricant had been found in a limited number of pocket packs, packaging that holds the kiwifruit in place.

A reported 1.7 million trays have been put on hold, affecting about 1% of Zespri’s anticipated 2016 volume.

“The lubricant has only been identified on less than 0.01 percent of pocket packs at this stage,” the company said in a statement.

Zespri has suspended the use of packs from the manufacturing plant in question, and added that the packs are sourced from a number of other facilities found in Chile, China and New Zealand.

The compromised packs were attributed to a small leak in a grease line from a Chinese supplier.

“Zespri has commissioned testing to confirm the exact composition of the lubricant. Once Zespri receives these results, it will make further decisions on how to manage this inventory with consumer safety as the top priority,” the company said.

The company acknowledge possible delays in some deliveries, but did not expect a significant impact on the season. 

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