Synlait's Talbot Forest Cheese opted to move fast on recall

More than two dozen products were recalled last week. Photo / 123RF

Synlait Milk's Talbot Forest Cheese opted to act fast and implement a precautionary recall of more than two dozen products even though the presence of listeria had not been confirmed.

Synlait bought the Temuka-based company for $37.8 million in August last year.

On Friday, the Ministry for Primary Industries said it had received unconfirmed test results indicating the presence of listeria in one of the products processed at the Talbot Forest Cheese factory in Temuka.

Today it said the test was still unconfirmed and did not indicate when the result would be known.

However, MPI recalled a range of cheese products because of potential contamination, across a number of Goodman Fielder, Gibbston Valley and Pams brands and specific dates of Speirs Foods and Pams convenience salads, which include feta cheeses.

A spokesperson for Talbot Forest Cheese said it was important to note it was a precautionary recall, which Talbot Forest Cheese voluntarily agreed to in close consultation with MPI.

"There is no confirmed presence of listeria in our products, or in any products made on our site," the spokesperson said. They also noted there have been no consumer complaints.

"However, given our commitment to food safety and quality, we agreed the best approach was to recall selected products which could be identified as presenting a risk of listeria contamination."

Listeria is a foodborne bacteria that can cause severe disease, in particular for pregnant women and their unborn babies, and people with weakened immune systems.

The recall coincides with three confirmed cases of listeriosis in Tauranga but the Talbot Cheese spokesperson said there was currently no evidence of any link to the reported cases.