MPI officers uplift contaminated cheese bought from Woolworths, Whangārei

Onerahi pensioner Ian Score recently bought a block of Woolworths Everyday brand cheese from the supermarket's Okara Park store. When he got it home, he discovered cockroaches in it. Photo / Michael Cunningham

Food safety officers have collected a block of supermarket cheese, contaminated with cockroaches, from an alarmed Whangārei shopper.

It’s the second in a spate of three Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) food safety investigations undertaken in relation to Woolworths (previously Countdown) stores in New Zealand, so far this year.

Onerahi pensioner Ian Score discovered two cockroaches - one about 0.9mm long, the other about 2mm long - embedded in a 1kg block of Woolworths Everyday cheese, which he bought from the supermarket chain’s Okara Park store, in Whangārei. He hadn’t noticed them when he bought the cheese as they were hidden by the top wrapper.

Concerned about the potential for a wider food safety risk, Score decided not to take the cheese back to the supermarket but to instead immediately contact MPI and its food safety arm.

However, after what he thought seemed like an initially “ho-hum” response from the two entities, Score took his concerns to local media.

An article with photos of the cheese seemed to spur more action and last Thursday, two MPI staff members drove from Auckland to collect the block of cheese and took it for analysis.

The officers were “guarded” in their reaction to the cheese when they saw it, Score said. He was unable to gauge their initial impressions as to what they thought might have caused the contamination.

However, he was assured that MPI took the matter “very seriously” and would be back in touch as soon as it had some answers.

One of two cockroaches Ian Score found in a block of Woolworths Everyday cheese he bought from the supermarket's Okara Park store. Photo / Michael Cunningham

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

New Zealand Food Safety (NZFS) acting deputy director-general Jenny Bishop told the Advocate, “NZFS is concerned about any situation where the suitability and safety of food is compromised”.

As an investigation into the discovery was now underway, she was unable to comment on any specific details.

It was standard practice for officers to visit complainants in the event of any foreign matter found in food, and some travel was part of their roles.

“We aim to combine investigations when food compliance officers are travelling,” Bishop said.

“It is routine for all investigations to establish what happened and work to prevent any recurrence.“

NZFS had not received any further complaints about the cheese.

“This is an isolated incident. We have a robust food safety system; however, issues do arise from time to time,” Bishop said.

It is understood the cheese is still for sale at Woolworths.

A representative for the supermarket chain said that having not seen the cheese in question itself, it was difficult for the company to understand what might have happened. It hadn’t received any similar complaints. Staff have checked blocks still at the shop and found no trace of any similar issue.

The company had spoken with its manufacturer and thought it was unlikely the bugs had come from its supply chain.

Score’s find comes amid a bad run for the supermarket, following the discovery of a rat infestation in Woolworths’ South Dunedin store, which MPI investigated earlier this year, and the sighting of a mouse eating cereal at the supermarket’s Pukekohe store, this week, which MPI is also investigating.