The New Zealand dairy company behind The Collective brand has been fined NZ$483,000 for failing to report positive listeria results, following an investigation by the NZ Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI).
Epicurean Dairy Limited produces a range of dairy related products such as yoghurt and ‘suckies’ marketed to children, with the former general manager Angus Allan pleading guilty to 10 charges of failing to report positive environmental listeria results when they appeared.
MPI director of compliance Gary Orr states that from 2012 to 2016, Epicurean Dairy Limited “deliberately and repeatedly” failed to report positive listeria results from the company’s factory floor in Avondale and falsified official related records.
Orr said a total of 190 positive listeria results were unreported during this time.
"This was serious, systematic and sustained deception – there's no other way to describe it," he said.
"The company was regularly audited to ensure its manufacturing environment was in accordance with regulatory requirements, but it lied about what the true situation was.
"The part of the factory that was producing positive environmental listeria results was an area where the most stringent food safety requirements applied. It was where yogurt and cheese was being produced for human consumption.
"It's clear that if the company had reported the positive results, there would've been significant costs associated with remedying the problem, which included replacing a cracked and unhygienic floor, as well as a halt to production due to the work that needed to be done.
Epicurean Dairy Limited was fined NZ$369,000, as well as the company’s former general manager Angus Allan for NZ$54,000. Court costs of $80,000 were also imposed.
The MPI states that no product was affected and there were no consumer health impacts.
Since the investigation, the company has replaced the worn factory floor and continues to operate with no further issues.
