New Zealand Food Safety, a division of the Ministry for Primary Industries, has issued a recall for raw fruit juice from Our Fruit Box (OFB) due to potential food safety risks. The recall was announced after it was discovered that the juice had not undergone the necessary safety checks to ensure its suitability for consumption. Vincent Arbuckle, deputy director-general, stated, "This raw fruit juice presents a food safety risk because it has not been through the required checks and balances to make sure it is safe to consume." The lack of registration under the Food Act by the company has raised concerns about the identification and management of risks such as E.coli, salmonella, cryptosporidium, and norovirus.
Officials have noted that the juice, which may be sold in 20L plastic containers labeled 'OFB' or in various unlabelled bottles, is distributed informally, including door-to-door, at local markets, and online. Consumers possessing the product are advised not to consume it and to dispose of it immediately. Our Fruit Box claims to use spray-free/organic fruit and operates across New Zealand's North and South Islands.
Source: rnz.co.nz