New Zealand Food Safety has issued a public warning after becoming aware of the unauthorised sale of cheese that had previously been dumped at a Waikato landfill.
Deputy director-general Vincent Arbuckle said authorities have “serious concerns about the safety of this product”, noting the cheese had been deemed unfit for sale by the manufacturer and correctly disposed of.
“Eating cheese that has been in a landfill for a period of time and out of the food supply chain carries very obvious food safety risks of contamination,” he said.
The cheese is believed to have been taken from Putaruru Landfill and was later found for sale in a Waikato town on Sunday, reportedly unrefrigerated.
Arbuckle said the products should not be eaten because they were not subject to required food safety controls and their storage, transport and handling were unknown.
The affected cheeses are all ‘Over The Moon’ brand and include the following products with batch numbers 18.11.25, 25.11.25 and 26.11.25:
- Camembert
- OMG
- Black Truffle Brie
- Galactic Gold
- Halloumi
- Gee’s Spread (Black Truffle & Garlic Chilli flavours)
- Smoked Chilli Camembert
- Goat Camembert
- Double Delight.
Over the Moon reported the issue to New Zealand Food Safety and is working to inform its customers.
The company’s cheese is legally sold through a number of outlets.
“Cheese purchased from these registered food businesses is safe to eat and not affected. If you are offered Over the Moon cheese from an unregistered business, or the transaction does not seem legitimate, it’s best to exercise caution.
New Zealand Food Safety is not aware of any related illness.
More information is available on Over the Moon’s website.
For further information and general enquiries, call MPI on 0800 008 333 or email info@mpi.govt.nz.
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Danish blue cheese enthusiasts who eat literal mold are reading this story and having a chuckle
Drop your prices down then you wouldn’t need to dump it
Did you read the article?
Do you want them to make no profit margin? All their expenses have also increased. Their profit margin has not increased.
Was the dumping of cheese due to manufacturing process or a looming expiry date?
As I understand supermarkets dump food that has passed its expiration date at the full cost to the supplier. Rather than giving the food to charity or reducing price, the burden falls completely upon the supplier.
Given the state of the economy, I wouldn’t be surprised the normal Christmas shopping was not purchased this year.
Supermarkets haven shown themselves to have far too much power. Not enough competition. It is long past time the government puts in place some serious legislation, that prevents cartel policies.
Why does this not surprise me? Goes hand-in-hand with the stores turning up their thermostats in the frozen and refrigerated food cases, or turning the same off during closing hours!
But…no one will be held accountable, especially since the Parliamentarians and Civil Servants hold stock in Food Stuffs, Fonterra, etc.