Following an alarming spike in Hepatitis A cases, a Parliament-led audit unveiled unexpected flaws in New Zealand’s food import system that had left consumers vulnerable. Nearly 40 New Zealanders were infected and half of them hospitalized during the outbreak, linked to frozen berry imports.

In response, the Controller and Auditor-General, an independent parliamentary institution, conducted a re-evaluation of New Zealand’s import policies, particularly pertaining to high-risk foods such as cheese, fermented meat, and frozen goods.

The report’s findings come to an important conclusion: when addressing food safety, a prevention-based approach is most effective for reducing the risk of foodborne illnesses.

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Trust issues

As of 2020, New Zealand imported food from 218 countries, according to the report. While volumes have remained largely unchanged, the value of imported goods rose to $8.5 billion in 2022.

In early 2024, there were more than 3,700 registered food importers in the country making the food import system a robust, albeit an unhealthy one. 

The problem? As per the 2014 Food Act, importers are responsible for the safety and suitability of all the food they import, but the Ministry for Primary Industries (PMI) is not routinely checking compliance with regulations, thus making the food import system a predominantly trust-based machinery.

Before 2021, PMI was also not reviewing that importers were registered nor regularly checking that they were organizing sampling and testing of food when necessary.

Then, between June 2022 and June 2023, Hepatitis A contagions rose, with cases attributed to consuming imported frozen berries. PMI data showed that of the 60 consumer-level recalls that occurred in 2022, 27 were for imported food. 

"In my view, the ministry does not have a clear understanding of the effectiveness of the food import system. This is because the ministry has not been consistently monitoring whether importers are assessing the safety and suitability of specified high-risk foods before they arrive in the country," Auditor-General John Ryan said in a media release.

The findings are the result of a 12-week audit, announced in the Controller and Auditor-General’s 2023-24 plan.

“We expected that the Ministry would be monitoring how well importers are complying with requirements for specified high-risk foods at each stage of the importing process. We also expected the Ministry to have a process in place to assess the effectiveness of importing requirements,” the audit read.

As a result, the PMI announced improved monitoring and other corrective actions. With tighter requirements and registrations are now enforced, the issue of rebuilding trust remains.

The Controller and Auditor-General’s report is an example of institutions putting in the work to protect consumers.  The story is also a cautionary tale about the impact of lapses in the supply chain.