Search

Australian food recalls during 2006

During 2006 there were 58 consumer level food recalls in Australia. The majority of these were due to undeclared allergens (for example peanuts) or contamination by foreign matter (for example glass). The next most common cause was microbial contamination with a total of 13 recalls. Listeria monocytogenes or Salmonella spp. were the microorganisms most frequently implicated. Three recalls were conducted as a result of processing faults, two were due to possible microbial contamination through inadequate or failed processing and the other was due to the presence of an allergen caused by the addition of an incorrect ingredient. Other reasons for recalls involved incorrect or non-permitted use of chemicals or ingredients.

In New Zealand the most common reason for a food recall in 2006 was the presence of foreign matter (38 percent of 26 recalls), followed by undeclared allergens (23 percent) and microbial contamination (19 percent). Quality issues or chemical contamination were the cause of the remainder of recalls in New Zealand.

A noticeable trend in recall data over recent years is that Australia and New Zealand both had marked increases in the number of recalls due to undeclared allergens from 2002 to 2003. In Australia during 2002 there were 8 food recalls due to the presence of allergens, whilst in 2003 there were 40 with most of these consumer initiated. These increases can be attributed to the introduction of mandatory warning statements on labels for products containing specified food allergens and greater consumer awareness of the food allergen issue.

Recall data can be used to raise awareness in the food industry about hazards that frequently occur. Food businesses can then take steps to prevent fur ther occurrences through factoring in this information when developing or reviewing food safety programs.

The Australian recall information was sourced from http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/foodmatters/foodrecalls/archiveconsumerlevelrecalls/index.cfm and the New Zealand information was from http://www.nzfsa.govt.nz/recalls/consumers.htm.