KEY POINTS:
Ten people, including a district councillor, have now fallen foul to toxic honey from the Coromandel.
The Food Safety Authority is urging people to hold onto honey they suspect has been contaminated instead of following earlier advice of throwing the hazardous food out.
Waikato District Health Board medical
officer of health Dell Hood said the Food Safety Authority (FSA) wanted as much of the toxic honey as they could get so they could perform tests on it.
The honey was produced by Projen Apiaries and is branded, "A Taste of Whangamata Pure Honey".
Anyone with a sample should call their local health service who would arrange to have it picked up, Dr Hood said.
Of the 10 people who became ill after eating the honey, three had been hospitalised.
The latest victim of the honey to come forward was Thames-Coromandel district councillor Jan Bartley, The Waikato Times reported today.
Despite the poisoning Mr Bartley wanted people to know Whangamata hobbyist beekeeper Kevin Prout, who produced the honey, was a "good citizen".
"It's unfortunate," Mr Bartley said. "They are good citizens and in fairness to them that should be understood."
The toxic honey was produced as a result of bees feeding on honeydew containing poison from the native tutu bushes.
Mr Bartley lives near the Prouts' daughter and his son produced the labels that went on the honey containers.
"The whole thing is so sad. I'm going to make a point of going to see them today ... they must be having a hard time."
FSA spokeswoman Trish Pearce said the authority was "pretty sure" it had located all affected honey, but needed to double check.
"We want to have a look at the inventory of the product, where he collected it, the dates, where the hives are located and where he's distributed it.
"It will be an investigation to make sure he has complied with the requirements of any food producer and requirements under the Animal Products Act."
Ms Pearce said all people who sold honey on the local market had to ensure they managed the risk associated with the tutin toxin.
She said for the toxin to spread there had to be good populations of the tutu plant.
"When it is dry and there is a lot less food sources for bees around, the bees start eating honey dew produced by insects sucking on plants.
"These little vine hoppers which live on tutu, if their numbers increase a lot and there is a lot of them around, they are sucking on tutu and producing the honey dew which the bees then feed on."
She said when it was dry the bees looked for an alternative food source and there were a lot of tutu bushes around the Coromandel area.
- NZPA
* WARNING
Projen Apiaries comb honey sold through Whangamata retailers Meat at the Beach, Valley Orchards or Quarry Orchards Fruit & Vege Mart should not be eaten. Take to the collection point at the Whangamata Medical Centre if convenient, or discard it.
The honey is branded, "A Taste of Whangamata Pure Honey".
If you have any other Coromandel comb honey produced in recent weeks, contact the producer for an assurance that it is safe to eat, otherwise discard it or take it to the medical centre.
When disposing of honey, wrap it securely in plastic, to prevent bees from recycling it into their hives.
People who have eaten Projen comb honey and experienced symptoms of tutin poisoning, which include vomiting, giddiness, increased excitability, coma and seizures, should see a doctor.
Sources: Food Safety Authority, Waikato District Health Board.
