Call for food safety officials to apologise to cheesed off shopper in Whangārei

Onerahi pensioner Ian Score had just opened and eaten a couple of slices off this block of Woolworths Everyday brand cheese when he peeled the top wrapper back a little bit further and discovered this bug embedded in the cheese surface. There was a smaller bug further down the still-wrapped section of the block. The Ministry for Primary Industries later identified the larger of the two bugs as a juvenile Gisborne cockroach and the other as a scuttlefly. Photo / NZME

A member of the public has called on food safety officials to publicly apologise to a Whangārei pensioner who discovered bugs embedded in a block of supermarket cheese.

The woman did not want to be named and did not personally know shopper Ian Score. However, the New Zealand Food Safety’s (NZFS) handling of his complaint “really upset” her, she said.

Score contacted NZFS this year after opening the end of the wrapper on a 1kg block of Woolworths cheese only to discover a juvenile Gisborne cockroach squashed and partially embedded under the smooth surface. He complained to food safety officials but felt fobbed off with the initial response so he went to the media.

A smaller bug embedded in the cheese further down the largely still-wrapped block and similarly obscured by the labelling was noticed later.

In a media statement last month, the NZFS – an arm of the Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI) – said its investigation into the contamination of the cheese “has concluded that it is highly unlikely they originated from the manufacturer or supplier”.

“Although this left the possibility that the insects contaminated the product in the home, the complainant had raised the issue in good faith,” NZFS director-general Vincent Arbuckle said.

The findings dismayed Score.

The woman said she and others were “horrified that the poor guy has been considered the guilty party”.

In her view it was obvious from photographs of the cheese, and from the man’s account, that the contamination did not happen in his home – it didn’t make logical sense. Because the insects were partially embedded under the smooth surface of the cheese, it seemed the contamination likely happened at the cutting stage of the manufacturing process via the heat caused by the friction of a spinning blade.

“Even though [NZFS has] said it hasn’t happened in factory cutting or packaging and definitely not in the supermarket, to then actually say it’s happened in the man’s house – [to imply] the only possibility is that it’s happened in the man’s house – that’s making an assumption, which should not have occurred.

“They should say, ‘we do not know how this happened” but to actually point the finger of blame at this poor guy, I think it’s disgraceful.

“To me, it’s almost libellous.”

The NZFS handling of the complaint was “unprofessional and insensitive’ and implied the man kept an unclean house, she said.

Even though the NZFS said it was a ‘possibility’ the insects got into the cheese at his house, officials had no evidence of that and should not even have suggested it, the woman said.

A reporter noticed this second, smaller bug in Onerahi pensioner Ian Score's block of cheese when they met to discuss his concerns. Score had discovered a larger bug on the top of the pack when he first opened it, but not this one hidden further down the unopened part. Photo / NZME

The NZFS “should not have implied guilt on this man” and should have limited its comment to saying it didn’t know where the contamination happened. Score should not have been “publicly embarrassed” and deserved a public apology, the woman said.

Despite being a public entity that was supposed to be helping people, the NZFS findings were protective of a big business while having appeared to publicly “malign” the complainant’s character, the woman said. Big businesses already had so many advantages they didn’t need protection from a public entity. And the findings were the very sort of response that could stop other members of the public voicing complaints for fear of being labelled the “bad guy” in the situation when they were actually the victim.

As she believed it was important to hold public entities to account, the woman had complained to MPI. She had also questioned how the investigation was done, including whether NZFS had sent investigators in person to inspect various points in the production and distribution chain or had simply relied on advice from site managers.

In response to her complaint, the woman received a phone call, which she recorded by consent, from NZFS acting manager food compliance Bethany Clapham, who stood by the investigation findings but did not specify whether officials visited any particular sites.

She said there were “hundreds of complaints” for which NZFS ultimately issued its findings in private. However, this case had been taken to the media, so the findings “unfortunately” had to be issued publicly.

Told about the woman’s support for him, Score was thankful. Although he hadn’t acted on it, the NZFS finding had irked him, especially because it implied his house and fridge were unclean when in fact he was a “fussy” housekeeper, Score said.

The NZFS deputy director-general Vincent Arbuckle reiterated the agency’s previous findings and comments.

In addition, Arbuckle said NZFS “at no point questioned his [Score’s] credibility”.

“The investigation included expert examination of the cockroach, which is unlikely to be found as far south as the cheese was manufactured.

“We considered evidence from a range of other sources as part of our investigation, including information from MPI-appointed verifiers who conduct onsite regular checks of the manufacturers involved, including the time period during which the product was produced and packaged, and are experts in these manufacturing processes as well as an examination of relevant records and other documentation.

“Food safety is always our number one priority, and we take an evidence-based approach to keeping consumers safe from foodborne illness and injury,” Arbuckle said.

Otago Museum entomologist Tony Harris said the Gisborne cockroach (Drymaplanetta semivitta) was established throughout the North Island of New Zealand and in the northern South Island in Nelson, Blenheim, and parts of Marlborough. Occasional individuals had been found alive as far south as Timaru and Dunedin. They were not thought to have been established there but were probably transported in furniture or vehicles. The species no doubt would become established in the far south as the climate warmed.

Sarah Curtis is a news reporter for the Northern Advocate, focusing on a wide range of issues. She has nearly 20 years’ experience in journalism, much of which she has spent court reporting. She is passionate about covering stories that make a difference.