Some Anchor milk products have been recalled by the parent company because they may contain the bacterium listeria.
New Zealand Dairy Foods has recalled 35,000 litres of milk and cream, comprising Anchor Bluetop in 1 litre, 600ml, 300ml and 150ml cartons, Anchor Lite Blue, Anchor Supertrim, Sun Latte and Anchor Cream
in 1 litre cartons, and Anchor Trim and Anchor Calci-Xtra in 1 litre, 600ml and 150ml cartons.
All the recalled products - totalling about 40,000 litres - are in cartons, not plastic bottles. "We have issued a recall notice on Anchor milk, in Tetrapak cartons only, with a 'best before' date of November 1," said chief executive Peter McClure.
"That's because routine testing has indicated that it's possible that products for that date may contain low levels of listeria. We are undertaking this recall as a precautionary measure."
The company said it had not received any reports of illness but anyone who had consumed the products and had health concerns should seek medical advice.
Customers can order a replacement voucher by phoning 0800 968-574.
Listeriosis, the disease which can result from eating listeria-contaminated food, has flu-like symptoms, such as fever and chills. Sometimes people have an upset stomach.
If the infection spreads to the nervous system, it can cause a headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, and convulsions. In some cases, the disease can be fatal.
Pregnant women, newborns, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems are at higher risk of becoming ill from easting food containing listeria.
A pregnant woman's illness can be transmitted to the foetus through the placenta, leading to miscarriage, stillbirth, or serious health problems for the child.
It may take up to 8 weeks for symptoms of listeriosis to appear, but the disease can be successfully treated with antibiotics.
