Allergens Remained Leading Cause of New Zealand Food Recalls in 2025
New Zealand Food Safety (NZFS) supported 57 consumer-level food recalls in 2025, a 35.2 percent decrease from the 88 recalls initiated in 2024. Despite the decline, the agency emphasized that annual recall numbers do not necessarily reflect changes in overall food safety risk, as they are influenced by reporting practices, regulatory changes, and the use of trade-level recalls that prevent affected products from reaching consumers.
Allergens Lead Reasons for Recalls
According to NZFS' Consumer-level Food Recalls Annual Report 2025, undeclared allergens remained the leading cause of recalls, accounting for 26 recalls (45.6 percent of the total). Physical contamination was the second most common hazard with 17 recalls (29.8 percent), followed by biological hazards with six recalls (10.5 percent). Milk was the undeclared allergen most frequently associated with recalls, triggering nine recall events.
Of the 57 recalls, 37 involved domestically produced foods and 20 involved imported products. NZFS reported that allergen-related recalls were the most common for both domestic and imported foods.
Notable Recall Events and Trends
The report identified three issues that significantly influenced recall activity during 2025:
- Physical contamination: A series of recalls involving peanut flour and chopped peanuts imported from Brazil were contaminated with small metal fragments, ultimately affecting 27 food products
- Undeclared allergens: Imported foods containing undeclared allergens resulted in 11 recalls, which NZFS said were driven in part by increased imports of trending foods (i.e., TikTok-viral food products) and international differences in allergen labeling requirements
- Documentation and controls: Food manufactured by businesses operating without the appropriate food safety registration (or any registration at all) resulted in four recalls.
Although microbiological hazards accounted for a relatively small share of recalls, NZFS highlighted a recall of imported French cheeses linked to a listeriosis outbreak in Europe. The products were recalled in New Zealand as a precaution, despite negative border testing, due to the strong epidemiological evidence in European outbreak investigations. Internationally, the outbreak was associated with at least 21 illnesses and two deaths, while no illnesses were reported in New Zealand.
The Role of Industry Surveillance, Global Coordination
Food businesses initiated nearly half (49.1 percent) of all recalls through their own monitoring and reporting systems, underscoring the role of industry surveillance in identifying food safety issues.
NZFS also issued 64 communications through the World Health Organization's (WHO's) International Food Safety Authorities Network (INFOSAN) related to 27 food safety events during the year, including 53 communications supporting consumer-level recalls.
Looking for quick answers on food safety topics?
Try Ask FSM, our new smart AI search tool.
Ask FSM →
