MPI's website states Kiwis suffer from about 200,000 cases of food poisioning every year - that's more than 500 a day.
Figures specifically for the Christmas and New Year holiday period were not provided by deadline.
But Flint said the risk of food borne illnesses increased as the weather got warmer.
"When you've got warm temperatures that means that the bacteria in the food are going to grow faster then they would in the middle of winter."
Holiday makers also often didn't have access to fridges and freezers, making it difficult to keep food cool.
Ideally, Flint said, those going camping would keep themometers in their chilly bins and in meat left on the barbecue to make sure stored and cooked food was at an appropriate temperature. But in reality no one did this.
Cooler packs in chilly bins needed to be swapped out regularly.
"If [people] think about how they like their beer and their wine, their food should be maintained in a similar condition," said Flint.
"If by chance you can't keep your food as cold as you'd like it's better to actually do a run to the shop more frequently than trying to store food for a long period of time."
Fridges in people's homes also tended to be warmer than they should be and overly full at Christmas time - because of the difficulty to keep food cool Flint said it was better to freeze high risk foods like ham after about two days.
Poultry, shellfish and raw foods were of concern and New Zealanders also needed to take closer care when preparing salads.
Lettuce was a raw material that should be washed thoroughly and kept separate from raw meat.
Camplyobacter - often found in undercooked chicken - is one of the most common causes of food poisoning in New Zealand.
Other foodborne micro-organisms that can make people sick include listeria, e coli, salmonella and staphyloccocus aureus. Most of these are spread through animal products kept at between five and 60 degrees celsius.
Elderly people, young children, pregnant women and those with low immune systems are most at risk of serious illness or death from food poisoning.
A good way to tell if food had gone off, he said, was to use your senses of smell, sight and touch.
Food should feel cold when it came out of the chilly bin or fridge, an unsual or bad smell was often a sign it had gone off and a slimey feel indicated the presence of micro-organisms.
Food safety tips
• Wash your hands well with soap before preparing food or eating and after handling raw meat and poultry
• Clean surfaces and utensils before preparing food
• Cover food with plastic wrap, foil or in a secure container before storing
• Separate raw and cooked foods during prep and storage
• Keep raw meat and chicken away from ready-to-eat food
• Cook chicken, pork and sausages right through - pork and poultry juices should be clear
• Freeze or refrigerator leftovers within two hours
• Reheat leftovers to at least 75C
• Use cooler packs in your chilly bin
