Salmonella scare: Contaminated hummus and tahini products on shelves for weeks - Food Safety boss

Several brands of hummus and tahini have been recalled due to possible salmonella contamination. Photo / Supplied

Contaminated hummus and tahini products had been on supermarket shelves for weeks before being recalled for possible salmonella contamination.

NZ Food Safety deputy director general Vincent Arbuckle told the AM show the contamination was not picked up at the border.

The team would be doing a review with the brand and importer about why it happened, he said.

“We have the majority of products on the list, but it’s possible there could be more.”

The products had been on the shelves for several weeks, Arbuckle said.

People who bought them should be cautious, “remove it or take it to the supermarket and get a refund”.

The recall involves 21 products from Lisa’s, Greater! and Prep Kitchen brands. The full list can be found here.

The products can be returned to the place of purchase for a refund.

However, the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) said it was a complex recall because the tahini in the hummus products was imported from Turkey and used in a large variety of products.

The recall page will be updated on the ministry’s website if more associated products become known.

Arbuckle urged people not to eat the products because salmonellosis could be serious.

“Symptoms appear within 12 to 72 hours and include abdominal cramps, diarrhoea, fever, headache, nausea and vomiting. Illness usually lasts between four and seven days but, in more severe cases, it can go on for up to 10 days and cause more serious illness.”

There have been no reports of associated illness. But anyone who had consumed one of the products and was concerned for their health, should contact a health professional, or call Healthline on 0800 611 116.

MPI said the products have been removed from store shelves and have not been exported.

Tahini is one of the high-risk foods that require a food safety clearance at the border, which can include providing an official certificate, other documentation, or product sample testing.

“No testing can be failsafe, so the additional required controls put in place by an importer are critical. In this instance, routine manufacturer testing detected Salmonella in a product already in New Zealand,” MPI said.

New Zealand Food Safety will be working with Life Health Foods NZ Ltd to understand how the contamination occurred.

- Staff reporter, RNZ.