A report by New Zealand Food Safety (NZFS) identifies the recall of imported sesame seeds with the potential to cause Salmonella poisoning as last year’s biggest food safety event.

The Consumer-level food recalls annual report for 2024, published today, says Salmonella was detected during routine testing by a New Zealand business importing the seeds.

“Thanks to the swift action of the team at NZFS, risk to the public was minimised. It was complex and meticulous work, involving testing and tracing potentially affected sesame seeds through the domestic market,” says NZFS deputy director-general Vincent Arbuckle.

“As a result of these efforts potentially affected product was identified and removed from shelves. In total there were 15 related recalls where the seeds were used, including as ingredients in other products. Most importantly there were no confirmed reports of related illness.

"Recalls are an important part of our work to protect consumers. New Zealand’s food safety system has a strong track record of keeping people safe and – given the volumes of food being produced, manufactured and imported – incidences of related illness remain rare.

"However, there are occasions when food safety issues occur, and that’s when we work quickly with food businesses to recall the affected product, removing it from the food supply chain and promoting public awareness.

“Good regulations also play a key role. The rules for imported sesame seeds have recently been strengthened. They now receive more scrutiny at the border to help minimise the risk of Salmonella contamination.”

The 2024 report shows New Zealand Food Safety supported food businesses to conduct 88 consumer-level food recalls.

"It’s important to note that the number of recalls is not an accurate indicator of the level of risk to consumers. Numbers are dependent on many factors, including regulatory changes, business and public awareness of food-related problems, and reporting of those problems," says Mr Arbuckle.

Of the 88 recalls, 56 were initiated for domestically produced foods and 32 were for imported foods.

Allergens in food were the leading cause for recalls in 2024, accounting for 46 percent of all recalls.

"Food recalls are a sign that our food safety system is working to protect consumers," says Mr Arbuckle.

"You can help keep yourself and your family safe by subscribing to our recall alerts from the New Zealand Food Safety food recall page:

“With World Food Safety Day coming up on Saturday [7 June] it’s a good time to make sure you’ve got the latest information to help keep you and yours safe."

Find details of recalled food products here: Recalled food products list

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