Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI)

New Zealand Food Safety is supporting Nishin Ltd in its recall of Nishin brand Seasoned Seaweed Salad due to undeclared allergens (wheat and gluten). All batches and all dates of the Nishin brand Seasoned Seaweed Salad are affected by this recall. The affected product, imported from China, is sold in supermarkets throughout New Zealand. Full details 👉 https://bit.ly/3Ysk5Cb

New Zealand Food Safety is supporting My Food Bag Ltd in its recall of My Food Bag brand Middle Eastern Spice Mix due to the presence of an undeclared allergen (gluten). My Food Bag brand Middle Eastern Spice Mix with a Best Before date of 18/02/2025 and 19/02/2025 are affected by this recall. The affected product was delivered through My Food Bag across New Zealand. Full details 👉 https://bit.ly/4frKZkR

MPI Director-General Ray Smith is visiting Malaysia and Thailand for discussions on a wide range of topics, including improving overseas market access and bilateral trade In Kuala Lumpur, he held discussions with Datuk Arthur Joseph Kurup, Malaysia’s Deputy Minister for Agriculture and Food Security (left), and Datuk Dr Sirajuddin Suhaimee, Director-General of the Department of Islamic Development. Malaysia is one of New Zealand’s top 10 trading partners, and the two countries celebrate 67 years of diplomatic relations this year.

Whilst conducting an inspection last weekend in Kawerua, Northland, fishery officers stopped a Nissan Navara and upon inspection found 200 undersized pāua. The group of six were stopped at 6pm on Sunday after an afternoon at the beach – in which only three of the men had participated in the gathering of the pāua. The group were more than six times over the recreational daily limit – of 10 pāua per fisher – and all 200 pāua were less than the legal minimum size of 125mm. The smallest were only 60mm. MPI seized the group’s vehicle, and the investigation continues. Excellent mahi from our Northland fisheries team 💪 You can report any suspected illegal fishing activity on 0800 4 POACHER (0800 47 62 24) or email us at poacher@mpi.govt.nz

New Zealand Food Safety is supporting My Food Bag in its recalling of My Food Bag All the Flavour brand Dukkah, due to the presence of an undeclared allergen (peanut). My Food Bag All The Flavour Dukkah with a Best Before date of 01/11/2024, 21/11/2024, 17/12/2024 and 10/01/2025 are affected by this recall. The affected product was delivered through My Food Bag across New Zealand. For full details, see here 👇 https://bit.ly/3YB95nk

Detector dog team Hunter and Nicky are formidable, and Hunter’s latest find did not disappoint. During a shift at Auckland International Airport recently, Hunter indicated on a passenger's handbag, who was on their way home in New Plymouth, from Singapore. Nicky inspected the handbag and found a live plant cutting. A more thorough inspection led to the uncovering of fresh ginger and many small envelopes containing different types of seeds 🌱 The passenger claimed they didn’t realise that the cuttings and seeds were a biosecurity risk. They had intended to plant them in their garden and distribute them to the community, “as you can’t get these plants here”. The passenger was issued with an infringement notice and educated on biosecurity risks. What an excellent day at the office, team. Keep it up 🙌

Tomorrow is NZ ShakeOut Day and on behalf of your pets, have you included them in your emergency plans? 🐶🐱 There are lots of things you can do to ensure the welfare of your animals in an emergency. A good place to start is putting together an emergency survival kit and a ‘grab bag’ if you need to evacuate. Your at-home emergency survival kit should contain enough supplies to last at least three days, whilst your ‘grab bag’ is more portable and easier to grab in a hurry. Here are some essentials to keep in your ‘grab bag’: 💧 Food and water 🍽️ Bowl ⚕️ Basic first aid kit 🧸 Carrier and blanket/bedding 🐱 Photograph 💉 Veterinary records/medication 🐕 Lead/muzzle for dogs Being prepared can help save lives, and your animals can’t prepare for themselves. Check out our website for more info: https://bit.ly/3BVdmJE

In honour of Get Ready Week we’d like to shout out the immense mahi of all those who participated in Exercise Poseidon – which took place in Wellington at this month. The exercise was the first time in 20 years all the North Island New Zealand Response Teams (NZRTs) had come together to practise and the first time animal welfare teams were invited to attended. The animal welfare team included the MPI Animal Welfare Emergency Management team, MPI Animal Welfare Inspectors, SPCA Wellington/Wairarapa, HUHA, Massey University Veterinary Emergency Response Team and Animal Services Hutt City. The exercise involved four Animal Welfare Response Teams going to various locations with the NZRTs to assess the site, locate animals, assess them for injuries or illness, and transport them safely from the site back to a temporary animal shelter. This tested the capabilities of the Animal Response Teams to deal with complex situations during animal rescue, and how to work across different organisations as everyone was mixed up. It was great to see many who attended our Companion Animal Welfare during a Civil Defence Emergency course, get an opportunity to test their new knowledge. It was an awesome weekend and a great opportunity to foster relationships with partner agencies. Thanks for the invite Wellington Region Emergency Management Office (WREMO).

Congratulations to all of the winners in the 2024 NZI Rural Women NZ Business Awards, including Cath Ward (Pahi Costal Walk), winner of this year’s Love of the Land Award proudly supported by MPI. The awards run by Rural Women New Zealand | Ngā Wāhine Taiwhenua o Aotearoa celebrates our innovative and entrepreneurial women who own and operate businesses in rural and regional Aotearoa NZ and play a huge role in strengthening, supporting and connecting their local communities

Happy World Food Day 🥝🥛🥩🥫 In Aotearoa New Zealand, we produce enough food to feed more than 40 million people here and around the world, providing vital nutrition and powering our economy. Today is a chance to acknowledge this immense mahi – from our farmers, growers, fishers, processors and manufacturers who produce our food, to the people who work hard to keep our food safe. Thank you for helping to feed the world.