Anyone who bought Value Pack Roasted Salted Peanuts since 11 April is urged to check whether they are part of a batch that was recalled on April 5.

“Prolife Foods recalled specific batches of products containing peanuts last month over concerns that they could contain levels of aflatoxins above the allowable level in New Zealand,” says New Zealand Food Safety (NZFS) deputy director-general Vincent Arbuckle. 

“Disappointingly, some of these recalled products have been released for sale in error by Prolife.

“NZFS is investigating how this could have happened. We will be reviewing Prolife’s recall system to find out what went wrong, and to prevent it happening again.

“Please check your pantry for any of these peanuts. Don’t consume them and return them to the place of purchase for a refund.”

The products affected by today’s recall are:

• Value Pack (VP) Roasted Salted Peanuts (400g) with best-before dates of 08 OCT 2024 and 15 OCT 2024

The affected products were sold at selected New World, FreshChoice, Pak’nSave and Four Square stores nationwide.

Visit New Zealand Food Safety’s recall page for more information about batch details and photographs of the affected product here: Prolife Foods Value Pack and Refill Pack Products Containing Peanuts | NZ Government (mpi.govt.nz)

“Aflatoxins are naturally occurring in many food products and are produced by a group of moulds that grow on foods produced in hot and tropical climates,” Mr Arbuckle says.

“Levels of aflatoxin in the New Zealand diet are usually very low and don't represent a health risk, however, consumption of food products with increased levels of aflatoxin over an extended period of time can be harmful.

“But despite the health risk being low in this case, any release of recalled products is of concern.”

New Zealand Food Safety has not received any notifications of associated illness.

If you have consumed any of this product and are concerned for your health, contact your health professional, or call Healthline on 0800 61 11 16 for free advice.

The vast majority of food sold in New Zealand is safe, but sometimes problems can occur.  Help keep yourself and your family safe by subscribing to our recall alerts. Information on how to subscribe is on the NZFS food recall page.